Page 78 - 2024 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report

2024 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report

Considering the difficulties in attracting and retaining (1) Regularly conducting institutional evaluations
talent in remote areas and offshore islands, local to establish a comprehensive monitoring
governments may increase salary points within mechanism:
the basic standard range of regional allowances A. For various long-term care institutions
to stabilize the care management workforce and established in accordance with the Long-
encourage long-term service in line with the official Term Care Services Act, they are subject to
letter Ren-Zheng-Si-Zi 53044 of 1990 from the evaluation every four years in accordance with
Executive Yuan. the Long-Term Care Act and Establishment
2. The responsibilities of care managers include Standards for Long-Term Care Institutions.
specialized tasks such as assessing the disability The evaluation results should be publicly
levels in long-term care (including initial and follow- announced by local governments to facilitate
up assessments), collaborating with Case Managers service users in making informed choices
from Unit A to develop and review care plans, regarding long-term care services. In cases
coordinating and linking resources across units, where the evaluation results are deemed
conducting inspections and audits to ensure the unsatisfactory, the institutions are required to
quality of post-case services, and performing audits make improvements within a specified period.
of service units. Depending on the specific improvement
progress, penalties, temporary closure, or
Section 2 Mechanisms for Enhancing
revocation of their establishment permits may
the Quality of Long-Term Care be imposed.
Services B. In accordance with the Long-Term Care
1. To maintain long-term care service quality and Services Act and its related subsidiary
effectively manage personnel, the Regulations for regulations, local authorities were required to
the Training, Certification, Continuous Education diligently implement the management of long-
and Registration for Long-term Care Personnel term care institutions and personnel. It was
stipulate that from September 2, 2022, long-term obligatory for them to conduct unannounced
care personnel can only register with one long-term inspections at least once a year.
care service unit. However, considering the different (2) Implementing contractor management and an
work nature of careworkers in home-based services exit mechanism
compared to those in community-based or residential The "Regulations on Long-Term Care
facilities, and the lack of specified careworker-to- Contracted Management", effective October
resident ratios for home-based care institutions, from 6, 2023, addresses issues encountered by
October 13, 2023, institution directors cannot refuse local authorities in managing long-term care
home careworkers' requests to support up to two contracts. It strengthens contract management
additional institutions to protect their work rights. mechanisms, including requiring local authorities
2. Since the launch of the Long-term Care 10- to define and announce service areas, specifying
year Plan 2.0 in 2017, there has been significant grounds for contract rejection, implementing a
progress in the development of long-term care point deduction system for violations, reducing
service resources and the expansion of the service or suspending case assignments based on
workforce. In addition to the growth in service contract violations, establishing criteria for
capacity, the MOHW has actively promoted various contract termination or dissolution, and requiring
measures to enhance and maintain the quality of local authorities to conduct at least one audit
long-term care services. These measures include: of reported cases during the contract period.
Violations may result in non-payment of fees and
recovery of penalties, implementing management
and exit mechanisms for underperforming
contracted units.

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