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Shirley Zhao

Regulatory monitoring of care homes for the elderly will come under a comprehensive government review, as a Tai Po nursing facility at the centre of an abuse scandal received confirmation it would lose its licence.
The second and third floors of Cambridge Nursing Home on Wan Tau Street could no longer operate after the Social Welfare Department yesterday announced the non-renewal of the licence, which expired on May 31, following careful consideration.
All the 57 elderly tenants had moved out of those two floors, the department said.
"Industry practitioners say this is a very big wake-up call for them," social welfare director Carol Yip Man-kuen said. "I hope the department and our industry colleagues can work together more closely to improve the level of service in the industry."
The Tai Po branch of the network of 18 centres for the elderly was shamed after allegedly leaving its tenants naked or half-dressed on an open-air podium for up to 1-1/2 hours before staff took them to shower.
The home submitted an appeal for a licence renewal on June 5, the department said.
It rejected the application based on three considerations - the home's record in breaching rules, the sustainability of its improvements after receiving warning letters and compliance with the code of practice for elderly care homes.
Yip promised a thorough review of the monitoring system, including looking into suggestions such as starting a community outreach scheme and publicising the number of warning letters issued to each nursing home.
The licence for Cambridge's first floor will expire at the end of August. Yip did not say if the department would consider not renewing it.
A department spokeswoman said 67 elderly tenants were living on the first floor, 19 of whom had moved in from the second and third floors.
As well as the alleged elderly abuse, the nursing home was found to have converted part of its ground floor and first floor into a supermarket without approval from the department.
The spokeswoman said the department ordered an immediate end to the supermarket operations on June 5, and that inspectors had confirmed the supermarket had stopped running.
The home had received nine warning letters, and 40 visits from inspectors, in the past three years about its second and third floors, she added.
Despite the department's pledge of a review of its monitoring system, an umbrella group of operators of elderly care homes called for more to be done.
Kenneth Chan Chi-yuk, chairman of the Elderly Services Association, pointed to deep-rooted problems such as a lack of resources for the industry and a shortage of caretakers.
"We are shocked by [the Cambridge scandal]," Chan said.
"This has reflected the public's concern on care home management. The government should take a complete look at its elderly care policy." He said his association would submit ideas on improving the policy to the government and Legislative Council at the end of this month.
After the scandal broke last month, Cambridge expressed regret for the incident in an advertisement published in Chinese-language newspapers. The group said it regretted the inconvenience and damage caused to residents and their families.


Hong Kong government pledges review on oversight of elderly care homes

Despite the department's pledge of a review of its monitoring system, an umbrella group of operators of elderly care homes called for more to be done. Photo: Dickson Lee

The second and third floors of Cambridge Nursing Home on Wan Tau Street could no longer operate after the Social Welfare Department yesterday announced the non-renewal of the licence, which expired on May 31, following careful consideration. Photo: Franke Tsang

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Monitoring system will fall under government scrutiny after alleged abuse of elderly residents


Hong Kong government pledges review on oversight of elderly care homes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Monitoring system will fall under government scrutiny after alleged abuse of elderly residents

Monitoring system will fall under government scrutiny after alleged abuse of elderly residents