The chief executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service has called on the government to be more proactive in reaching out to carers, instead of waiting for them to call a new hotline.

Chua Hoi-wai also said on Saturday that while the 24-hour phone service designated for carer support is helpful, it is more important to ensure there are sufficient services available.

Set up a month ago, the hotline provides community resources and refers carers to support services based on their needs.

"Our experience is that it takes a lot of time and many calls to find services. To some extent, even if I call the [hotline], there may not be services," Chua told an RTHK programme.

"Whether community services are sufficient is a very important issue, and I think our support for carers today is not enough. The government can be more proactive in contacting carers,"

On the same programme, lawmaker Bill Tang urged the authorities to better promote the hotline.

"For example, please ask all specialist out-patient clinics under the Hospital Authority to put [the hotline number] '182183' on medicine bags, so that potential target groups know about this number, and then you review the actual demand," he said.

A community organiser at the Society for Community Organisation, Ng Wai-tung, told another radio programme that having a 24-hour hotline does not necessarily mean callers are receiving round-the-clock service.

He said, for example, an elderly caregiver had tried to call the hotline to talk about her stress, but was only told to seek help from medical social workers.