Former police officers may inspect Hong Kong’s private care homes

Welfare chief tells special hearing that government would also consider making warnings given to homes public, after scandal at Kwai Chung centre

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The government may use former police officers to inspect nursing homes. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 2:01pm, 1 Nov 2016Updated: 10:50pm, 1 Nov 2016

Hong Kong’s welfare chief suggested on Tuesday that retired uniformed staff, such as former police officers, should inspect the city’s private disabled nursing homes, after revelations of abuse at such centres sparked public outcry.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung unveiled a series of measures at a special meeting of the legislature’s welfare panel after the Bridge of Rehabilitation Company, a scandal-hit nursing home for the mentally disabled in Kwai Chung, was found to have recorded at least five suspicious deaths in a year.

“We would not tolerate any unqualified nursing homes,” Cheung said, adding that his department would consider making private nursing home managers accountable for services.

The government would also consider making warnings given to homes public, to make the system more transparent, he added.

Dozens of people at the hearing, including social workers, caretakers at private nursing homes, disabled people and their parents, criticised the government for failing to monitor the quality of these homes, which they said had compromised the dignity of disabled residents.

“The Bridge of Rehabilitation Company saga has exposed that poor-quality private care homes have failed to protect those in need and the Social Welfare Department should be held responsible for the lack of monitoring,” said Lee Chi-yung, chairman of the Association of Parents of the Severely