Nursing Home Capacity and Referrals

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Tin Pei Ling
MP for MacPherson

Question No. 346

To ask the Minister for Health (a) what is the current total subsidised and private nursing home capacity; (b) in the past five years, how many applications for these nursing homes have been received and what has been the queue time in each of those years; and (c) within the same period, how many of the patients in these nursing homes are ambulant and how many can be cared for at home or within the community.

Written Answer

1                   We have about 12,800 nursing home beds as at end-December 2016.  Of these, about 11,000 beds are subsidised.

2                   Between 2012 and 2016, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) received an average of 3,400 applications for subsidised nursing home beds per year.  The waiting time depends on several factors such as care needs of patients, family preferences and available capacity.  On average, successful applicants wait about four months for a subsidised nursing home bed.

3                   Very few nursing home residents are ambulant.  This is because in assessing the needs of applicants, AIC generally prioritises nursing home placements for patients who require help and supervision in three or more activities of daily living such as feeding and toileting, and have weak family support.  For seniors who are ambulant and can be supported in the community, AIC refers them for home-based and community services instead.  We are strengthening these services to enable more seniors to age in place, rather than be cared for in a nursing home.  In 2016, more than 6,000 seniors were placed in home care and/or day care.