Debated in Parliament on 6 May 2019.
Assoc Prof Walter Theseira asked the Minister for Health for each year from 2016 to 2018 (a) how many seniors have benefited from home-based care services; (b) how many referrals for home-based care have been received by the Agency for Integrated Care; (c) what is the total number of public and private home-based care providers; and (d) how many persons are employed in the home-based care sector, excluding foreign domestic workers.
Over the years, MOH has grown the supply of home-based care services to enable more seniors to age in place. Today, we estimate that there are more than 70 home-based care providers providing a range of home-based care services, such as home medical, home nursing and home personal care services.
Based on data reported by Government funded home-based care providers, the number of workers (excluding foreign domestic workers) providing home care services was 890 in 2016, 1,050 in 2017 and 1,120 in 2018.
The number of seniors who have benefited from subsidised home care services was 5,200 in 2016, 6,000 in 2017 and 6,700 in 2018. The number of referrals to home care services received by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) was 15,800 in 2016, 16,300 in 2017 and 14,400 in 2018. The number of referrals is non-unique as some seniors may be referred to more than one service at different points in time. Not all referrals result in the take-up of services as clients may opt for alternative care options.
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