Medical Social Services

Medical social workers (MSW) play an important role in linking up the medical and social services for cancer patients and caregivers and provide timely psycho-social intervention and/or tangible assistance.

Service description:

• Arrange financial or material assistance e.g. waiving of medical charges, application for trust funds, referral for social security, and purchase of medical appliances, etc.
• Conduct psychosocial assessments, plan for discharge and follow-up services and make referral for rehabilitation services and community resources for patients and their families.
• Provide counselling to patients and their families.
• Collaborate with other medical and allied health professionals in the community teams to outreach persons in the community who are in need of treatment or rehabilitation.

Medical social services units:

MSWs in the general setting are stationed at public hospitals and some specialist out-patient clinics of the HA. Cancer patients and their families can directly contact the MSWs of public hospitals or specialist outpatient clinics or ask the medical team to make a referral.

For the list of Medical Social Services Units, please refer to the Social Welfare Department's website.