Notice of Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau and other four departments on printing and distributing the ‘Plan on Comprehensively Promoting Elderly Medical Escort Services’

 

Each district’s Civil Affairs Bureau, Health Commission, Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and Consumer Protection Committee:

To address the urgent needs of the elderly in medical accompaniment and other aspects, and to actively respond to population aging, the Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau and other departments have formulatedthe ‘Plan on Comprehensively Promoting Elderly Medical Escort Services’, which is now printed and distributed to you, please follow and implement.

  Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau

  Shanghai Municipal Health Commission

  Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau

  Shanghai Consumer Protection Committee

  May 15, 2026

 

Plan on Comprehensively Promoting Elderly Medical Escort Services

In order to implement the national strategy of actively responding to population aging, solve the urgent needs of the elderly in medical accompaniment and other aspects, and continuously improve Shanghai’s elderly service system, according to the ‘Several Measures to Further Promote Elderly Service Consumption and Improve the Quality of Life of the Elderly’ by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and 23 other departments, the ‘Implementation Opinions on Deepening the Reform and Development of Elderly Services’ by the Shanghai Municipal Committee and Shanghai Municipal Government, and the ‘Several Policies and Measures to Promote High-Quality Development of the Silver Economy in Shanghai’, the following plan is formulated to comprehensively promote the elderly medical escort services in our city.

I. Work Objectives

In 2026, each district will establish and improve the medical escort work mechanism according to local conditions, build and perfect the elderly medical escort service network, develop a number of elderly escort service institutions, and train a group of qualified elderly escort companions;By the end of 2030, the city’s elderly medical escort services will achieve sufficient supply, standardized development, and comprehensive improvement of service quality.

II. Clarify the Connotation of Elderly Medical Escort Services

Elderly medical escort service refers to the activity in which an escort service institution arranges an escort companion to accompany an elderly person to a medical facility and assist in receiving medical diagnosis and treatment.The service content includes providing assistance in movement, accompanying diagnosis and treatment, handling procedures, communication between doctor and patient, psychological comfort, medication reminders according to doctor’s orders, and other services for elderly people who need to go to medical institutions for medical treatment. Each district is encouraged to expand service content within the connotation of elderly medical escort services.

Elderly escort service institutions are encouraged to actively connect with mobility resources such as stair climbers, non-emergency transport, and welfare vehicles to help elderly people solve travel problems. Civil affairs departments in each district should provide support for elderly escort service institutions to connect with mobility resources.

III. Develop Elderly Escort Service Institutions

Elderly escort service institutions refer to institutions equipped with a professional team of elderly escort companions (generally no less than 5) and capable of providing regular elderly medical escort services to the elderly, including elderly care service institutions and other institutions whose main business is to carry out elderly medical escort services.

Institutions whose main business is elderly medical escort services shall, in accordance with the procedures stipulated in the ‘Shanghai Measures for the Registration and Filing of Elderly Service Institutions’, file with the district civil affairs department as home-based community elderly service institutions.

The municipal and district civil affairs departments shall proactively publish the list of elderly escort service institutions to the society through various online and offline channels.

IV. Cultivate a Professional Team of Elderly Escort Companions

Elderly escort companion refers to personnel who have undergone professional training and are able to use basic health and nursing knowledge and related skills to accompany and assist elderly people in receiving medical diagnosis and treatment.

Support the inclusion of elderly medical escort in the scope of special vocational ability assessment of the Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. Civil affairs departments in each district should actively mobilize nursing assistants of elderly service institutions, nurses of internal medical institutions, as well as elderly social workers, elderly care consultants and other elderly service practitioners to participate in the special vocational ability assessment for elderly medical escort; encourage personnel with professional backgrounds or relevant work experience in nursing, medical care, rehabilitation, pharmacy, social work, etc. to participate in the special vocational ability assessment for elderly medical escort, to cultivate and expand the professional team of elderly escort companions.

Elderly escort service institutions should, on their own or by entrusting medical institutions in the jurisdiction, professional training institutions, etc., regularly conduct on-the-job training for elderly escort companions to improve the ability and level of escort services; encourage medical institutions to provide necessary support for elderly escort companions to familiarize themselves with normal medical procedures, outpatient department distribution, etc., to ensure smooth medical order.

V. Standardize the Development of Medical Escort Services

Elderly escort service institutions should reasonably determine charging standards based on the actual charging situation and standards of existing elderly service projects, as well as the consumption capacity and willingness of the elderly group, and should publicly display service content, charging items and standards, complaint hotline and other service information in a conspicuous place in the service venue.

Elderly escort service institutions should sign service contracts with the elderly or their guardians before service, clarifying the rights and responsibilities of all parties.Encourage elderly escort service institutions to purchase relevant insurance for elderly escort companions and the elderly to protect the rights and interests of both parties during the escort medical process. Actively apply group standards such as ‘Specifications for Escort Services’ and ‘Requirements for Professional Skills of Escort Companions’ to carry out services.

Elderly escort companions should proactively understand the basic condition of the elderly and conduct risk assessment before the service begins, determine the service plan, and remind them to prepare for the medical visit; during the escort process, they should comply with the management regulations of medical institutions, carry out assistance in pre-examination registration, accompanying waiting and examination, assisting in payment and medication collection, etc., assist communication between the elderly and doctors, and convey doctor’s orders and related precautions; after the escort service, they may expand services such as medication reminders according to doctor’s orders.

VI. Strictly Manage Elderly Escort Service Institutions

Elderly escort service institutions should establish management systems in accordance with relevant regulations and requirements, clarifying service provision norms, service quality control norms, operation management norms, and complaint suggestion handling mechanisms; the entire process of escort service should protect the personal information of the elderly, especially personal sensitive information and privacy. Encourage elderly escort service institutions to join relevant industry organizations or establish industry joint organizations to carry out self-service and self-management.

It is strictly prohibited for elderly escort service institutions and elderly escort companions to carry out activities beyond the scope of elderly medical escort services under the guise of escort, such as illegal appointment adding, selling appointment slots, etc.; those who improperly profit and affect normal medical order will be dealt with according to laws and regulations. Medical institutions and their medical staff should strengthen the identification and prevention of behaviors that falsely claim to be escort but are actually ‘appointment scalpers’ or ‘ticket touts’, and are strictly prohibited from participating in and seeking improper benefits to ensure smooth medical order.

VII. Improve Service Guarantee Mechanism

Support each district to incorporate elderly medical escort services into the city’s elderly service subsidy service content, and ensure the bottom-line protection for the elderly with difficulties such as subsistence allowances and low income.Encourage each district, street, and town to provide inclusive medical escort services for specific groups such as the very elderly and those living alone through purchasing services or other forms, or provide funding for escort services for economically disadvantaged elderly people with special difficulties through social public welfare and charitable resources.

Eligible elderly escort service institutions can enjoy support policies such as government purchasing comprehensive liability insurance for elderly service institutions according to regulations., civil affairs departments in each district should mobilize institutions to actively participate in insurance, improve the risk-bearing mechanism, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly being escorted, elderly escort companions, and service institutions.

VIII. Improve Supervision and Management Mechanism

The district civil affairs bureau and health commission should strengthen work coordination; the district civil affairs department should strengthen the collection and analysis of service data and service quality evaluation, and work with health and other departments to handle complaints, reports, and dispute mediation to effectively improve service quality. Consumer protection committees at all levels carry out social supervision of elderly medical escort services according to law, and accept and mediate consumer disputes at the request of consumers.

Relevant industry organizations play the role of industry self-discipline, strengthen the management of member units, and explore the formulation of industry management standards; under the guidance of the Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, research and formulate a model contract text for medical escort services in our city and promote its use; issue identity badges to elderly escort companions who have passed the special vocational ability assessment, supporting them to work with badges; handle related complaints and reports, and establish a dispute mediation mechanism.

IX. Strengthen Information Empowerment and Promotion

Encourage civil affairs departments in each district to rely on various elderly service information platform carriers (comprehensive platforms, websites, mini-programs, self-service terminals, etc.) to build information-based medical escort service or supervision platforms, connect with elderly escort service institutions in the jurisdiction, and empower medical escort services with technology.

Civil affairs departments and health departments in each district should make use of various community elderly service facilities such as comprehensive elderly service centers, elderly meal service venues, doorstep elderly service stations, day care centers, community health service centers, and other places, mobilize grassroots forces such as elderly care consultants and community volunteers to actively carry out offline publicity, and link escort service resources for elderly people in need. Make full use of various media platforms to promptly publicize the progress of escort service work.

X. Strengthen Division of Labor and Cooperation

The Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau coordinates the work of elderly medical assistance and escort services, establishes and improves standards for the construction and services of elderly escort service institutions, and works with the human resources and social security departments to promote the inclusion of elderly medical escort services in special vocational ability assessments; civil affairs departments in each district, together with district health and other departments, should integrate resources such as elderly service institutions, medical institutions, training institutions, and professional forces within their jurisdictions, strengthen communication and training guidance, and comprehensively promote elderly medical escort services.

This plan will be implemented from July 1, 2026.

Source: Shanghai Civil Affairs Official Website Disclaimer: This platform is committed to industry sharing and exchange. The articles do not represent the platform’s views. The copyright belongs to the original author. If there are any errors in the source attribution or infringement of your legitimate rights and interests, please contact us, and we will promptly correct or delete them. Thank you.