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Health
A four-year pilot project launched in 2013 provides dental services for adults with intellectual disability who are recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), the Disability Allowance or the Hospital Authority's medical fee waiver. Eligible patients get subsidised check- ups, treatment and oral health education at designated clinics, and treatment under intravenous sedation or general anaesthesia at designated hospitals. The government will continue to subsidise the participating organisations to provide these services in 2018 to meet the needs of patients who are already on the waiting list of the pilot project.
Mental Health
The government adopts an integrated approach in promoting mental health, through a service delivery model that covers prevention, early identification, timely intervention and rehabilitation. Cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary support and care are available through the collaboration of government bodies including the Food and Health Bureau, Labour and Welfare Bureau, Education Bureau, Hospital Authority, Social Welfare Department and Department of Health.
The Hospital Authority is a major medical service provider for people with mental disorders. Its psychiatric services include inpatient facilities, day hospitals, specialist outpatient clinics and community outreach. In 2016-17, about 240,900 people received treatment and support through these services.
In April, the Review Committee on Mental Health completed a review of mental health policies and services that aimed to map out future directions for the development of services and ensure mental health policies could rise up to the challenges of a growing and ageing population. In its Mental Health Review Report, the committee set out 40 recommendations, most of which have been implemented over the course of the review. The relevant bureaus and departments will follow up on the remaining recommendations as appropriate to provide more suitable and adequate services to people with mental health needs.
Based on the recommendations, the government announced forming a standing committee, the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, on 28 November. This committee will advise the government on mental health policies, including the establishment of more integral and comprehensive approaches to tackle multifaceted mental health issues. It will help the government develop policies, strategies and measures to enhance mental health services. It will also follow up on and monitor the implementation of the recommendations.
A case management programme implemented by the Hospital Authority provides intensive community support citywide for patients with severe mental illness, in line with an international trend to focus more on community and ambulatory care in treating mental illness.
A pair of two-year pilot schemes are in place to enhance support for children and adolescents with mental health needs and elderly people with mild or moderate dementia. The Student Mental Health Support Scheme, implemented in the 2016-17 school year, brings together cross- sectoral professional teams comprising teachers, educational psychologists, school social workers and psychiatric nurses to discuss the progress of each case and provide more adequate support to students with mental health needs in schools. As at December 2017, the scheme
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