Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ10: Residential care homes for persons with disabilities
Following is a question by the Hon Fernando Cheung and a written reply by the
Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council
today (June 27):
Question:
Regarding the management and information about the residents and staffing
position of the existing 37 private residential care homes for the persons with
disabilities (PRCHDs) in the territory, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows the breakdown on the number of PRCHD residents by their
characteristics set out in Table 1.
(b) how the Government monitors the drug management of the above PRCHDs; and
whether there were any incidents of wrong dispensation of medicines by these
PRCHDs in the past three months; if so, of the details and remedial measures;
(c) whether the Government has monitored the meal arrangements in the above
PRCHDs; if it has, please provide the menu and the nutrition information for a
day of the above five PRCHDs which have successfully joined VRS; whether these
PRCHDs have any residents who have swallowing difficulties or need help when
drinking or eating; if they have, of the number of such residents and how PRCHDs
assist them in drinking and eating;
(d) of the existing numbers of staff (including both part-time and full-time) in
each of the above PRCHDs which have successfully joined VRS, and the respective
manpower ratios of social workers, nurses and other nursing staff to PRCHD
residents; and
(e) of a breakdown, by the type of PRCHDs in item (a) above, of the number of
work injuries in the above 37 PRCHDs as well as the number of in-patient and
accident and emergency attendances of PRCHD residents in the past five years?
Reply:
Madam President,
Regarding Hon Fernando Cheung's question on the Voluntary Registration Scheme (VRS)
for residential care homes for persons with disabilities currently implemented
by the Social Welfare Department (SWD), our reply is set out in below.
(a) The breakdown of the number of residents of private residential care homes
for persons with disabilities (PRCHDs) in Hong Kong is shown in Table 2.
(b) Staff of the Registration Office of Private Residential Care Homes for the
Disabled (the Registration Office) under the SWD, including registered nurses,
will carry out inspections at registered PRCHDs on a regular basis (at least
once every three months) to monitor their drug management, including checking
whether the PRCHDs have handled and dispensed drugs in compliance with
appropriate procedures and maintaining the necessary records, so as to minimise
the risks of wrong dispensation of medicines. Where necessary, they will also
give the PRCHDs professional advice to improve their drug management system.
For the PRCHDs now carrying out the necessary improvement work, staff of the
Registration Office will follow up on the progress of work and pay visits to
them. At the same time, registered nurses from the Registration Office will
inspect the drug management of these PRCHDs and help them enhance their quality
of services on this front.
With regard to the PRCHDs that have not applied for the VRS, staff of the
Planning and Coordinating Teams in various districts and the Registration Office
under the SWD will take proactive actions by paying regular visits to them and
giving them advice on their drug management. Moreover, the Registration Office
will also organise regular training courses and workshops on drug management for
all relevant staff of the PRCHDs, with a view to enhancing their drug management
skills.
In the past three months, the SWD has not received any report of wrong
dispensation of medicines by these PRCHDs or complaint against them.
(c) For the five PRCHDs which had successfully joined the VRS, registered nurses
of the inspection team from the Registration Office will study the menu of these
PRCHDs during their inspection visit to assess whether their meals can offer a
balanced diet and whether preserved or canned food is frequently used as
ingredients of their recipes. The staff from the Registration Office will give
advice where necessary. A sample menu for a day of each of the five registered
PRCHDs are at Annex A.
For the other PRCHDs, registered nurses of the Registration Office and staff of
the Planning and Coordinating Teams in various districts will examine the meals
prepared by these PRCHDs and give on-the-spot advice during their visits to
ensure a balanced diet for the residents.
A total of three residents in the five registered PRCHDs are reported to have
swallowing difficulties or need help when drinking or eating. The PRCHDs have
served them with minced food and provided them with feeding service in every
meal.
(d) According to the staffing establishment set out in the Code of Practice for
Residential Care Homes for Persons with Disabilities, the five PRCHDs which have
successfully registered under the VRS have all complied with the basic staffing
requirements for relevant homes (as in Annex B).
(e) None of the five PRCHDs which have successfully registered under the VRS
have kept any detailed records of work injuries in the past five years but three
cases of work injuries were reported last year. The SWD does not maintain a
record of the number of work injuries in the remaining 32 PRCHDs. Last year, the
reported numbers of in-patient and accident and emergency attendances of the
residents of the five PRCHDs successfully registered under the VRS were 182 and
71 respectively. The SWD does not maintain a record of the corresponding figures
of the remaining PRCHDs.
Ends/Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Issued at HKT 14:18
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