Waiting for a subsidised care home in 2026: how the Central Waiting List works
Facts checked 18 Oct 2026. Written by our editors from the official sources below; not yet reviewed by a social worker or nurse. Not medical, legal or financial advice.
All subsidised care home places (subvented, contract, EBPS, the Nursing Home Place Purchase Scheme and the Guangdong scheme homes) are allocated through SWD's Central Waiting List for Subsidised Long Term Care Services. An elderly person first needs the Standardised Care Need Assessment to confirm they need residential care.
Latest figures (as at 2026-09-30)
- Waiting for care-and-attention places: 17,412; nursing home places: 1,740
- Average wait (past three months): 23 months for a care-and-attention place in a subvented or contract home; 6 months for EBPS; 8 months for a nursing home place
Updated monthly on the waiting times page.
Options to consider
- No district or home preference: SWD's "turn for placement offer" dates apply only to cases without a district, region or home preference.
- EBPS places: the average wait is much shorter than for subvented homes.
- Vouchers: people on the list may be invited to use a voucher in a recognised home (voucher guide).
- Guangdong scheme: designated homes in the Greater Bay Area (Guangdong scheme homes).
- Community care services can be used while waiting; the residential application then becomes "inactive" and can be reactivated later, keeping the original application date.