To earnestly implement the requirements of the national strategy for actively addressing population aging and to promote the high-quality, coordinated development of elderly care services and the related industry in our city, this Action Plan is formulated in accordance with the “Yangzhou City 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Elderly Care Services” and in light of current practical circumstances.
I. General Requirements
(1) Guiding Principles
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, as well as General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses and directives on elderly care services. We will adhere to a people-centered approach, fully implement the national strategy for actively addressing population aging, promote a better integration of an effective market and an active government, and foster the scaled, standardized, clustered, and branded development of the silver economy. We aim to realize a new model of high-quality, sustainable, and innovative elderly care services and strive to create a Yangzhou model of “Happy Aging.”
(2) Basic Principles
1. Government Leadership and Social Participation. Fully leverage the government’s role in ensuring basic needs, providing a safety net, and strengthening mechanisms; actively guide broad participation from social forces; enrich the supply of multi-tiered and personalized elderly care services; and provide diversified elderly care products and services.
2. Problem-Oriented Approach and Targeted Measures. Focus on the challenges facing the development of institutional, community, and home-based elderly care services; adhere to regional integration and coordinated urban-rural development; strengthen both infrastructure and service capacity; integrate service resources; innovate service models; and strive to provide precise, efficient, and convenient comprehensive elderly care services that integrate medical, rehabilitation, and nursing care.
3. Active Exploration and Encouragement of Innovation. We encourage a pioneering spirit, adapting to local conditions and taking the lead in pilot initiatives. We will boldly explore policy measures and approaches to promote the high-quality coordinated development of the elderly care service sector and industry, transforming these into practical experiences with local characteristics.
(III) Work Objectives
Through the comprehensive establishment of the “1+4” elderly care service system, we aim to achieve robust and effective elderly care service guarantees, comprehensive coverage of elderly care facilities, a rich and diverse supply of in-home elderly care services, more significant results in the integration of medical care and elderly care, and high-quality and efficient development of the service sector.By 2026, the city aims to renovate and upgrade 6 county-level model elderly care service institutions and 6 township (subdistrict)-level integrated medical, rehabilitation, and elderly care service centers, and to establish and operate 1 municipal-level high-quality elderly care service demonstration project integrating medical, rehabilitation, and elderly care services;add 6 new elderly care service institutions rated at Level 4 or above, cultivate more than 10 high-quality elderly care service brands, and provide 1,000 mid-to-high-end elderly care service beds, thereby accelerating the formation of a multi-tiered elderly care service structure characterized by “basic coverage with guarantees, a thriving market for mid-range services, and diverse options for high-end services.”
II. Main Tasks
(I) Focus on Top-Level Design to Promote a More Scientific Planning-Led Policy Support System
1. Promote the balanced distribution of elderly care facilities. Taking into account factors such as socioeconomic development levels, the status and trends of the elderly population, and environmental conditions, municipal and county-level governments shall formulate tiered plans for the layout of elderly care facilities. By 2024, the “Yangzhou Urban Area Elderly Care Facility Layout Plan” shall be completed; by 2025, Baoying, Gaoyou, and Yizheng shall complete their local elderly care facility layout plans;By 2026, a four-tier network of elderly care service facilities—spanning the city, counties, townships (subdistricts), and villages (communities)—will be essentially established. Each county (city, district) will prioritize the development of one public elderly care service institution; townships (subdistricts) will focus on establishing regional elderly care service centers; and villages (communities) will concentrate on setting up elderly care service stations. This will achieve the construction goals of comprehensive coverage across urban and rural areas, balanced regional distribution, clear hierarchical structure, and comprehensive functional capabilities.Further increase the number of mid-to-high-end elderly care facilities, strengthen medical, rehabilitation, and nursing functions, and enhance the level of comprehensive elderly care services.[Lead Departments: Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs, Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning; Responsible Units: Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau, and the people’s governments of all counties (cities, districts) and management committees of all functional zones. All policy measures below must be implemented by the people’s governments of all counties (cities, districts) and management committees of all functional zones and will not be listed separately.]
2. Optimize support policies for elderly care services. On the basis of strictly implementing existing national, provincial, and municipal guidance and support policies for elderly care services, research and formulate support policies to promote the development of high-quality elderly care services.Explore policy measures such as the free or low-cost use of idle state-owned assets to establish public elderly care institutions; the renovation and utilization of idle factory buildings or community facilities to establish elderly care facilities without immediately changing the land use or property status; mutual recognition of elderly capacity assessment results; support for state-owned enterprises primarily engaged in the elderly care industry during performance evaluations; and the “three-in-one” integration of home-based medical care beds, long-term care insurance beds, and home-based elderly care beds;Improve elderly care subsidy policies, appropriately raise subsidy standards, and increase support for the elderly care industry; accelerate the implementation of designated medical insurance policies for existing nursing homes. (Lead Departments: Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission; Responsible Units: Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau, Municipal Disabled Persons’ Federation, Municipal Finance Bureau, Yangtze River Culture and Tourism Group)
3. Innovate in the cultivation of elderly care service talent. Strengthen cooperation with universities both within and outside the city, such as Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Yangzhou University, and Yangzhou Vocational University, to focus on cultivating and attracting talent in elderly care service management, operations, and specialized skills, thereby providing a talent foundation for the development of the city’s elderly care industry and health and wellness groups.Focusing on skill enhancement, we will continue to conduct vocational skills training, encourage and support elderly care service practitioners to participate in training to improve their employment and job-specific skills, and provide skill enhancement subsidies in accordance with regulations. We will encourage active applications for professional title evaluations in elderly care and ensure smooth career advancement pathways. (Lead Departments: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, Yangtze River Cultural Tourism Group; Responsible Units: Municipal Education Bureau, Municipal Finance Bureau, universities in Yangzhou)
(2) Focusing on Vulnerable Groups to Strengthen the Safety-Net Elderly Care Service System
4. Improve the mechanism for prioritizing vulnerable elderly individuals for admission to public institutions. Building upon the principle of “ensuring full coverage and care for all elderly individuals meeting the criteria for special hardship support,” prioritize meeting the admission needs of other vulnerable elderly individuals who are unable to care for themselves into public elderly care institutions.Each county (city, district) shall establish one public care facility for the elderly with disabilities or dementia and renovate and upgrade one county-level model elderly care service center. The structure of elderly care beds shall be optimized to steadily increase the proportion of nursing beds and the number of beds dedicated to dementia care. Relevant systems for the admission of vulnerable elderly individuals to public elderly care institutions shall be established. (Lead Department: Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs)
5. Alleviate the long-term care burden on families with elderly members who are unable to care for themselves. Accelerate the integration of policies such as care subsidies for elderly individuals in need, long-term care insurance, and medical insurance to meet the essential care service needs of elderly individuals in economically disadvantaged families who are unable to care for themselves. Complete pilot projects in Guangling District by the end of 2024, begin citywide implementation in 2025, and further improve the long-term care service system for elderly individuals in families facing financial difficulties by 2026.(Lead Agency: Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs; Responsible Units: Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau, Municipal Federation of Disabled Persons, Municipal Finance Bureau)
6. Strengthen Visitation and Care for Elderly Individuals with Special Hardships. Further enhance organizational assessments to precisely identify the target population. Leveraging the grassroots community grid-based governance system, improve the home-visit care system for priority elderly individuals. Compile a comprehensive inventory of elderly individuals living alone in urban and rural areas, particularly those who are elderly, empty-nesters, or living alone. Conduct regular visits through telephone check-ins, video calls, and in-person visits, ensuring there are rosters, records,platforms, records, and measures. Actively expand the application of “Internet+elderly care” in visitation and care services to enhance service effectiveness, prevent and mitigate safety risks, and promptly resolve the problems and difficulties faced by the elderly. (Lead Agency: Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs)
(3) Focus on the Elderly in the Community to Further Improve the Urban and Rural Community Elderly Care Service System
7. Continue to advance the development of senior-friendly communities. By continuing to build senior-friendly communities and rural mutual-aid elderly care neighborhood centers, we will further strengthen the provision of community-based elderly care facilities in both urban and rural areas, optimize the quality of home- and community-based elderly care services and the capacity for integrated medical and elderly care, and strive to create a “15-minute elderly care service circle” in residential communities to meet the service needs of the elderly to “age in place.”By the end of 2025, achieve full coverage of senior-friendly communities in the main urban areas and basic full coverage of rural mutual-aid elderly care neighborhood service points. In 2026, conduct a “review” of existing senior-friendly communities and rural model mutual-aid elderly care neighborhood service points to further improve operational quality. (Lead Agency: Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs)
8. Establish a Diversified Meal Assistance Service System. Further promote the construction of meal assistance facilities. Based on local conditions, explore various service models—such as establishing township (subdistrict) central kitchens, village (community) meal service points, opening senior care facilities and institutional cafeterias, leveraging restaurant chains, designating local eateries, and deploying mobile meal delivery vehicles—to optimize the meal assistance service system. This will create a meal assistance service brand with Yangzhou’s distinctive characteristics to meet the diverse needs of the elderly.(Lead Agencies: Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs, Yangtze River Cultural Tourism Group)
9. Enhance Professional Service Capabilities for Home-Based and Community Care. Support local property management and home service enterprises in expanding into the elderly care market. Through specialized training, provide diverse and personalized home-based and community elderly care services to elderly residents, and establish a group of model enterprises integrating “property management + elderly care” and “home services + elderly care.” Relying on professional elderly care service institutions, extend service functions to provide home-based and community elderly care services, and support the development of various service models such as bathing assistance centers, mobile bathing vehicles, and in-home bathing assistance.Centered on the theme of “Enriching Minds and Bringing Joy to the Elderly,” we will actively leverage the leading and radiating role of municipal and county-level senior universities to extend senior education programs to townships (subdistricts) and villages (communities). We will continuously enrich course resources and foster senior community groups. We will organize recreational and leisure activities—such as cultural, sports, and tourism events—for community seniors on an irregular basis to enrich their spiritual lives and cultivate healthy lifestyle habits. (Lead Department: Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs; Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Municipal Bureau of Education, Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism)
(IV) Focusing on the Elderly with Disabilities to Further Optimize the Long-Term Care Service System
10. Support the integration of medical care and elderly care. Guide medical institutions to establish elderly care service facilities, set up dedicated zones for elderly care and dementia care, and build “two-way” transfer channels; encourage township (subdistrict) medical and health institutions to expand their “elderly care services” offerings, convert idle hospital beds into elderly care beds, and provide health services such as rehabilitation care and basic medical treatment.Promote the transformation and upgrading of township (subdistrict) healthcare institutions into comprehensive medical, rehabilitation, and elderly care service centers. (Lead Department: Municipal Health Commission; Responsible Units: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau)
11. Support the integration of medical care into elderly care facilities. Actively guide eligible elderly care service institutions—especially embedded facilities—to establish rehabilitation hospitals, nursing homes (nursing stations), or community clinics within their premises to meet the needs of the elderly for one-stop medical, rehabilitation, and nursing care services close to home. Promote the renovation and upgrading of township regional elderly care service centers or subdistrict comprehensive elderly care service centers into integrated medical, rehabilitation, and nursing care service centers, thereby creating exemplary grassroots institutions for integrated medical and elderly care services.(Lead Agency: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau; Responsible Agencies: Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau)
12. Support the integration of medical care and elderly care. Explore models for the adjacent construction of community elderly care service institutions and primary healthcare service sites; promote the adjacent construction of sub-district comprehensive elderly care service centers and community health service centers to foster the deep integration of medical, rehabilitation, and elderly care services. Establish the Yangzhou Elderly Capacity Assessment Center and further improve the city-wide elderly capacity assessment mechanism in accordance with relevant national and provincial standards; optimize medical insurance settlement methods for integrated medical and elderly care institutions to better meet the health and elderly care service needs of the elderly.(Lead Departments: Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau, Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau; Responsible Unit: Municipal Disabled Persons’ Federation)
(5) Focusing on Middle- and High-Income Seniors to Enhance the Distinctiveness of the High-Quality Elderly Care Service System
13. Establish a state-owned health and elderly care group. Fully leverage the exemplary and leading role of state-owned enterprises in the elderly care service sector, accelerate the formation of a health and elderly care group, and integrate health and elderly care resources at the municipal and county levels, as well as assets and facilities such as hospitals and health stations. This will effectively expand service supply, enhance professional service standards, and improve the multi-tiered medical-care and health-care elderly service system.(Lead Departments: Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Yangtze River Culture and Tourism Group; Responsible Units: Municipal Party Committee Organization Department, Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau)
14. Promote the Development of High-Quality Elderly Care Institutions. Rely on the Yangtze River Culture and Tourism Group to build a high-quality elderly care service brand. In 2024, formulate an implementation plan for the inaugural high-quality elderly care institution project, and utilize sites such as the former North Inpatient Building of the Yangzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital and the former Red Cross Inpatient Building for renovation and upgrading to create a mid-to-high-end nursing home as the inaugural project. Strive to commence implementation in April and complete construction and put it into operation by the end of the year.In 2025, in conjunction with the relocation of the Yangzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital, further improve and upgrade the nursing home project and supporting facilities such as health-oriented senior living apartments; establish and improve the chain operation of branded institutions and build an integrated meal delivery service system. In 2026, create a large-scale demonstration project for integrated medical, rehabilitation, and long-term care facilities, forming a service product system that encompasses both high-quality and affordable elderly care.Launch a citywide special campaign to improve the quality and efficiency of elderly care service institutions. By 2026, the goal is to add six new elderly care service institutions rated at Level 4 or above, create more than 10 high-quality elderly care service brands, and add 1,000 beds in mid-to-high-end elderly care service institutions. (Lead Departments: Yangtze River Culture and Tourism Group, Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs; Responsible Units: Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau)
15. Enrich the scope of high-quality elderly care services. Strengthen cooperation and exchange with well-known brand enterprises such as Suzhou Health and Wellness Group to further expand the service offerings of high-quality elderly care institutions, and develop new sectors including travel-based elderly care, smart platforms, age-friendly renovations, and rehabilitation aids. Strive to establish one model travel-based elderly care institution and complete the construction of a citywide smart information display platform for elderly care, as well as a display and trading platform for age-friendly renovations and rehabilitation aids.(Lead Agency: Yangtze River Culture and Tourism Group; Responsible Agencies: Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs)
III. Support Measures
(1) Improve the Coordination Mechanism. Fully leverage the role of the Municipal Joint Conference on Elderly Care Services in providing overall coordination and leadership to foster a collaborative framework where municipal, county (city, district), and township (subdistrict) levels work in tandem, and various departments coordinate with one another. Effectively improve interdepartmental communication and coordination mechanisms to promptly address major issues and matters arising during project implementation, thereby generating a synergistic force for advancing the work.
(2) Increase Diversified Investment. Improve the government investment mechanism and enhance the precision of funding allocation. Project funds covered by the plan must be promptly incorporated into annual budget arrangements and integrated into the overall allocation of elderly care service project funds to ensure orderly project implementation. Encourage and guide charitable organizations, philanthropic enterprises, and members of the public to provide project and financial support, thereby further fostering a favorable development environment.
(3) Establish a supervision and follow-up mechanism. Municipal and county-level governments must strengthen supervision and inspection of task implementation, address existing issues, promptly summarize best practices, and ensure tangible results in all areas of work. Regions demonstrating significant achievements will receive preferential support in terms of funding, policies, and projects; regions with slow progress will be subject to timely notifications.
(4) Strengthen Project Performance Evaluation. Conduct regular evaluations of the configuration and utilization of community-based elderly care facilities, as well as the performance of basic public services for home-based elderly care. Conduct comprehensive evaluations of elderly care institutions regarding their service teams, facilities and equipment, management standards, and service quality. Establish credit records for elderly care institutions to promote the healthy and orderly development of the elderly care service market.
Attachment: Task Breakdown Table for the “Yangzhou Three-Year Action Plan for High-Quality Development of the Elderly Care Services Industry (2024–2026).doc”
