Seoul City Launches Nation's First 'Good Care Certification' for Elderly Home Care Agencies

209 Home Care Service Providers Targeted... Up to 18 Million KRW Annual Subsidy
Evaluation of 3 Key Areas Directly Linked to Service Quality

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to actively promote the "Visiting Care Good Care Certification System," which certifies outstanding senior visiting care institutions as "Seoul-type Good Care" institutions. This certification system for excellent senior visiting care institutions is the first attempt nationwide.

On the 17th, the city announced that it will begin accepting applications for the selection of certified institutions from 209 visiting care providers among home-based elderly welfare facilities (social welfare facilities) located in Seoul. Applications can be submitted through the Seoul city website (http://www.seoul.go.kr) until the 26th of this month.

The Visiting Care Good Care Certification System is a program in which the city certifies excellent long-term care institutions that meet certain standards for good care, including the protection of senior citizens' human rights, facility safety, and financial soundness. The city provides subsidies of up to 18 million KRW annually and awards a certification mark.

Seoul aims to certify all institutions that provide excellent visiting care services and lead improvements in the treatment of care workers, thereby enhancing the overall quality and public nature of visiting care.

The certification criteria include three main areas: ▲Good Service (providing customized services according to user needs, 11 items) ▲Good Jobs (job stability for care workers, 6 items) ▲Good Institution (excellent management and financial accounting, 7 items). Institutions that meet the specified requirements set by Seoul in these areas can all receive certification. For the service and job areas, an average score of 80 points (at least 70 points per area) is required, and all indicators must be met in the institution area.

Certified institutions will receive additional support of up to 5 million KRW for purchasing "safe thermometers," separate from the subsidy. This is intended to proactively respond to infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and ensure that all workers responsible for visiting care always carry thermometers to protect the safety of both workers and users.

Earlier, in February of this year, Seoul selected three institutions to pilot the "Visiting Care Good Care Certification System." The pilot not only resolved sudden care gaps but also provided job opportunities for care workers who had lost their jobs due to COVID-19.

Kang Byung-ho, Director of Welfare Policy at Seoul City, said, "With the increase in single-person households and accelerated aging, the utilization rate of visiting care is expected to continue rising, making it necessary to strengthen the quality of user services in line with community-centered care policies. Through the Good Care Certification, we will strive to ensure that all citizens can safely receive good services with confidence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.