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Summary of key recommendations

Policy direction 1
Hong Kong must optimise service accessibility through
current care models, particularly in non-hospital settings

1.1 The Government should evaluate the workforce size of psychiatrists and clinical
psychologists (CPs). This includes considerations for creating a strategic plan for
recruiting, training, and retaining psychiatrists and conducting further research
into factors contributing to Hong Kong’s shortage of CPs.

1.2 The Government should apply strategic purchasing to the design of the
public-private partnership programme between the Hospital Authority (HA) and
private general practitioners (GPs) / family medicine specialists (FMs).

1.3 The Social Welfare Department (SWD) should reassess the role of Integrated
Community Centres for Mental Wellness (ICCMW) in supporting persons with
CMD. This should include reviewing ICCMW service agreements, re-evaluating
the role of ICCMWs in providing clinical psychological services and considering
corresponding support.

1.4 The Health Bureau (HHB) should increase mental health elements of the District
Health Centre (DHC) service model to promote holistic wellbeing at the primary
care level. The HHB should review service models of DHCs and DHC Expresses
(DHCEs), with consideration for the creation of a formal relationship that includes
a case sharing protocol between DHCs/DHCEs and ICCMWs.

Policy direction 2
Hong Kong should strengthen formal care models for diverse
mental health needs

2.1 The Government should optimise stepped care in the provision of psychological
services. This should include the consideration of piloting stepped care
psychological services involving DHCs, the leveraging of professionals such as
occupational therapists and counsellors to provide a steady manpower supply
offering low/high intensity therapy, and consideration of elements that contribute
to sustainable stepped care psychological services.

2.2 The Government should upskill social workers to cater to surging demand for
psychological services. The Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) should
consider incentivising social workers to receive training to provide evidence-
based psychological interventions, and these trained social workers should be
leveraged in existing mental health services.

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