Policy Address

Support Carers

260. Carers play an important role in supporting elderly persons and persons with disabilities (PWDs). When carers are provided with appropriate support to alleviate physical and mental stress, they are better able to take care of elderly persons and PWDs. Current measures include providing allowance for carers from low-income families, enhancing respite services to give carers a break, setting up a 24-hour hotline manned by social workers, launching a one-stop information gateway, and organising large-scale publicity and public education activities.

261. The Government will earmark an annual recurrent expenditure of $500 million to roll out a series of measures to enhance support for carers, including:

  1. The Government has launched the first phase of the Carer Support Data Platform, which initially connects the data of the SWD, the HA and the HKHA, and progressively connect the data of more government departments and public organisations to expand the Carer Support Data Platform.

  2. Upon learning from the HA that a high-risk carer has been hospitalised, the SWD will arrange outreach to the care recipients and offer emergency support according to their needs.