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Elderly home operators urged to apply licence early
Operators of residential care homes for the elderly are urged to apply for a licence or a certificate of exemption from the Social Welfare Department's Licensing Office of Residential Care Homes for the Elderly (LORCHE) as early as possible.
The LORCHE, officially established on April 1 this year in conjunction with the implementation of the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance, has so far received about 400 applications from residential care homes for the elderly, a spokesman for the department said today (Monday).
Applications for either a licence or a certificate of exemption should be forwarded to the LORCHE at Room 2354, 23rd floor, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai.
"With the implementation of the new legislation, residential care homes for the elderly will have to comply with the licensing requirements on location, space, design, structure, safety, fire precaution, staffing and quality of care to the residents before they are allowed to operate," the spokesman said.
"The ordinance aims to regulate homes established for the residential care of elderly persons who have attained the age of 60 so as to ensure that these homes provide services of a reasonable standard and that the well-being of the elderly residents is safeguarded.
"Section 6 of the ordinance, which is scheduled to come into force on April 1, 1996, stipulates that any person, who on any occasion operates, keeps, manages or otherwise has control of a residential care home in respect of which neither a licence nor a certificate of exemption has been issued, commits an offence and is liable to a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment of two years."
Enquiries concerning licensing requirements as well as application procedures can be made on either 2961 7211 or 2834 7414.
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