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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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