Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun said today that the Government attaches great importance to the service quality of residential care homes (RCHs) and is striving to strengthen monitoring of their operations and management.

Mr Sun told lawmakers that under existing arrangements, in the event of a “special incident” at a residential care home for persons with disabilities (RCHD), the home must inform the Social Welfare Department's Licensing Office of Residential Care Homes for Persons with Disabilities (LORCHD) in a timely fashion and submit a special incident report to it within three calendar days of the incident's occurrence.

He explained that in determining whether it is necessary to disclose the incident, the Government will consider the nature and severity of the incident, the impact on service users, and any follow-up actions taken.

The welfare chief stressed that in determining the appropriate timing of disclosures, it is necessary to strike a careful balance, with counselling and support being provided to victims, their families and other affected people. He added that as each special incident is unique and the factors involved vary, it is not suitable to set a fixed time frame for making announcements.

Mr Sun highlighted that the Government has been implementing the Residential Care Homes Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2023 in phases. This includes enhancing the accountability of RCH operators, raising minimum staffing requirements, and introducing a registration system for home managers, thereby protecting the interests and safety of residents.

He added that to increase the deterrent effect on law-breakers, the department updated requirements under the Code of Practice in October of this year, requiring RCHDs to formulate policies and mechanisms for monitoring CCTV surveillance systems and viewing CCTV footage.