New Guidelines Enhance Referrals from Chinese Medicine Practitioners to Allied Health Professionals in Hong Kong

Arrangements for registered Chinese medicine practitioners referring patients to services provided by allied health professionals take effect

The following is issued on behalf of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong:

The Supplementary Medical Professions (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 took effect on July 25, 2025. It renamed the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (Cap. 359 of the Laws of Hong Kong) as the Allied Health Professions Ordinance and made various amendments to the Ordinance, including providing the legal basis for specified allied health professionals to accept referrals from registered Chinese medicine practitioners (RCMPs). To implement the specific arrangements of such referrals, the Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board (CMP Board) of the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong promulgated today (December 11) the Guidelines for Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioners Referring Patients for Diagnostic Imaging and Laboratory Tests (Referral Guidelines) and revised the Code of Professional Conduct for Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioners in Hong Kong (RCMP Code of Conduct). Through establishing clear professional competency requirements and referral principles, the Referral Guidelines and revised RCMP Code of Conduct ensure that RCMPs possess the necessary professional knowledge and skills when making referrals, thereby safeguarding patient safety, further promoting interprofessional collaboration in an orderly manner and enhancing healthcare quality.

RCMPs' referral of patients for diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests

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The Chinese medicine sector has been exploring how Chinese medicine practitioners can directly utilise modern diagnostic methods to assist in making more accurate diagnoses to serve the practical needs of the Chinese medicine profession while aligning with the best medical interests of patients. For this purpose, the CMP Board established the Medical Referral Working Group in December 2023 to conduct a study on the professional standards required, establish reference standards and guidelines, and propose amendments to the RCMP Code of Conduct. After extensive consultation with various stakeholders (including RCMPs and relevant medical professions and organisations), the CMP Board and its Medical Referral Working Group promulgated today the Referral Guidelines and revised the RCMP Code of Conduct to provide clearer guidance for RCMPs in making such referrals.

The Referral Guidelines set out the basic principles, professional responsibilities, and the necessary knowledge and skills required for RCMPs to refer patients for diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests. RCMPs arranging such referrals must ensure they have met the requirements on professional knowledge and competencies outlined in the Referral Guidelines and followed the practice rules stipulated in the Referral Guidelines when making and managing such referrals.

To safeguard patient safety and best interests, a step-by-step approach will be adopted for implementing the Referral Guidelines. Currently, the Referral Guidelines only apply to referrals for plain X-rays, while the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) will serve as a pilot site, in which RCMPs, when working as members of an attending clinical care team, may refer patients of the hospital to radiographers and/or medical laboratory technologists within the hospital's clinical care team for other test items in accordance with the hospital's internal clinical guidelines. The CMP Board expects that the experience obtained through this pilot arrangement at the CMHHK will facilitate future interprofessional discussions to progressively include other commonly used diagnostic imaging and laboratory test items into the Referral Guidelines.

RCMPs' referral of patients for physiotherapist and occupational therapist services

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In addition, the Ordinance allows physiotherapists and occupational therapists to accept referrals from RCMPs. To this end, the CMP Board is consulting the RCMP and other relevant medical professional sectors on the draft Guidelines for Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioners Referring Patients for Services Provided by Healthcare Professionals, with a view to providing more specific guidance on the basic principles, professional responsibilities, and required professional knowledge and skills involved in such referrals to promote interprofessional collaboration in the long term.

To support the above development, the CMP Board has been closely communicating with the Supplementary Medical Professions Council (SMP Council) and noted that the SMP Council has endorsed the codes of practice for radiographers, medical laboratory technologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, enabling them to accept RCMPs' referral for allied health services, with the revisions also taking effect today (December 11). The CMP Board and the SMP Council will continue to strengthen collaboration on matters relating to RCMPs' referral for allied health services with a view to promoting the development of interprofessional collaboration.

Photo by Bastille Post

Re-launch of Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works in New Territories Exempted Houses

Following the direction of earlier proposals, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (April 1) the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works (UBWs) in New Territories Exempted Houses (NTEHs). The reporting period will last for one year from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

"In view of the history and unique circumstances of the NTEHs (commonly known as village houses), the Government launched a one-off administrative reporting scheme in 2012 as a special arrangement. Under the scheme, owners could report to the BD about UBWs that were erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law. The reporting period ended in December 2012. The Development Bureau (DEVB) put forward proposals to amend the Buildings Ordinance in December 2024, which included rationalising the policy for handling UBWs. The DEVB also pointed out that in response to the views of villagers and Legislative Council members that the reporting period was too short, the Government prepared to re-launch the Reporting Scheme to allow owners who at that time did not report their UBWs to do so," a spokesman for the BD said.

Relevant stakeholders and Legislative Council members generally considered the above proposals practical and feasible, and they welcomed the proposals. The DEVB and the BD have also consulted Heung Yee Kuk on the relevant implementation arrangements.

The re-launched Reporting Scheme will maintain the original criteria, including:

(1) The types of UBWs that can be reported and their erection dates are the same as the original Reporting Scheme, meaning that only UBWs erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law and were not the First Round Targets (Note) are eligible. Examples include signboards projecting from the external walls of village houses; enclosed rooftop structures with a coverage of not more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area of the main building.

(2) Same as the original Reporting Scheme, owners are required to conduct safety inspections on the reported UBWs every five years.

"The BD will not require the immediate removal of the reported UBWs unless their structures become obviously dangerous. Regarding UBWs in village houses, the BD is prioritising the handling of First Round Targets. If any relevant UBWs remain not reported after the application deadline of March 31, 2027, the BD will, after dealing with the First Round Targets, take priority enforcement action against the non-reported UBWs. The BD will formulate enforcement strategy for the reported UBWs at a later stage in accordance with the risks and the actual situation," the spokesman added.

To enhance the efficiency of processing applications, reports must be submitted via the electronic platform on the BD's website by technically competent persons or registered professional engineers appointed by owners. In accordance with the user-pays principle, an administrative fee of $600 is payable for each application. Upon successful reports, owners must also pay the relevant administrative fee when conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years.

Details of the re-launched Reporting Scheme are available on the BD's website at https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/safety-inspection/ubw/UBW-in-new-territories-exempted-houses/index_relaunch_reporting_scheme.html; Villagers who wish to report can call 2626 1616 for enquiry. The BD will also use different channels such as distributing leaflets and posters to Rural Committees to enable villagers to know more about the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme.

Owners who had successfully participated in the Reporting Scheme in 2012 are not required to submit reports again. However, they must continue to comply with the requirements of the original Reporting Scheme, including conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years, submitting safety certificates and paying administrative fees to the BD.

Note: The First Round Targets refer to UBWs with higher potential risks and more serious nature, such as village houses of four storeys or more, and enclosed rooftop structures covering more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area.

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