Welfare minister Chris Sun on Saturday said the government will soon launch a database that aims to provide integrated support for vulnerable families.

Speaking to reporters after an RTHK radio programme, Sun said the Social Welfare Department would collect data for the pilot scheme with support from the Hospital Authority.

“So the example is if the carer himself or herself is admitted into hospital. Under our new pilot scheme, we'll get a message from the Hospital Authority to the Social Welfare Department that this family now is at risk, so we can reach out to it to provide necessary respite service or to provide home service to make sure that those being taken care of is receiving proper care,” he said.

The government will only collect the names of individuals without including their medical histories, as it only wants to identify who is at risk, Sun explained, adding that the approach had been approved by the Privacy Commissioner.

Sun also said the government would collect data from public estate households with one or two elderly members.

He said that the administration would cross-reference this data with NGOs and daily care centres and that government care teams would then conduct visits to see what support could be provided.