Home nursing services are often required by the frail and the sick who need assistance in daily living without necessarily resorting to institutional care.
Home nursing services provided through an agency cover a range of care from basic care like feeding, diaper changing, pulse taking and blood pressure measurement, to more professional services such as wound care, nasogastric tube feeding, urinary catheter care, peritoneal dialysis and injections.
Home nursing services are usually charged at an hourly rate. For an 8-hour session, service charge for enrolled nurses is HK$880 to HK$1,100 while registered nurses charge at a rate of HK$1,130 to HK$1,320. Hourly rates for Health Workers range from HK$460 to HK$690. The service charge for carers who have not registered or enrolled with the Nursing Council of Hong Kong but claimed to have nurse training in Mainland China range from HK$490 to HK$570.
For urgent appointment with a carer made before 10:00 am or 11:00 am, or in the evening, the rate will be calculated on a 12-hour whole shift basis. Consumers will have to pay extra for taxi fare if the carer is required to arrive or depart before 6:30 am or after 10:00 pm.
While many home nursing service agencies provide matching and referral services, the investigation of the Consumer Council revealed that carers recommended or referred by the agencies may not be well trained or qualified to provide care needed.
In accordance with the subsidiary legislation of the Nurses Registration Ordinance, registered nurses and enrolled nurses trained in Hong Kong are required to complete minimum of 3 years' and 2 years' training in gazetted nurse training schools for nurses respectively. Any person without a valid practicing certificate issued by the Nursing Council of Hong Kong shall not practice nursing in Hong Kong. For any person who is not duly registered or enrolled with the Nursing Council of Hong Kong, if he/she takes or uses the name or title of registered or enrolled nurse, it is a violation of law.
Consumers who wish to hire registered or enrolled nurses should check if the prospective candidates possess valid registration and practicing certificates to practise nursing in Hong Kong. The names of registered or enrolled nurses can be checked on the official website of the Nursing Council of Hong Kong (www.nchk.org.hk).
For health workers, consumers should check if they have registered with the Licensing Office of Residential Care Homes for the Elderly of the Social Welfare Department.
Before engaging home nursing services, consumers are advised of the following:
- Consult family doctors or health care professionals before seeking home nursing services.
- Arrange telephone interview with the carer to get more information about their qualifications, skills and experience concerned. Check the relevant documentary proof.
- Explain clearly to the carer about the physical condition of the patient, and it will be even better to make a detailed list of service items required, so that the carer can assess whether he/she can meet the requirements.
- Do make early arrangements given the shortage of nurses in Hong Kong, as most appointments with private duty nurse have to be made at least 2 to 3 days in advance.
- There should be mutual agreement on the hours of service required and pay calculation, such as whether transport fees and overtime pay are included, as well as job arrangements when a rainstorm warning or typhoon signal is issued.
- Do not request for work that is beyond the carer's competencies and do not assign work other than job duties agreed by the carer. If the service is not satisfactory, communicate with the carer about the problems concerned before considering replacement the worker.
The Consumer Council reserves all its right (including copyright) in respect of CHOICE Magazine and Online CHOICE ( https://echoice.consumer.org.hk/ ).