A hybrid Mandarin dialogue was organised at Ci Yuan Community Club to address residents’ concerns and queries on COVID-19 vaccination.
Primary care is the bedrock of Singapore’s care transformation journey. For more than two decades, National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP) has been working hard to achieve a future-ready primary care ecosystem — one that is sustainable, accessible, and effective in improving population health.
COVID-19 VACCINATION PROGRAMME
NHGP continued to play a key role in protecting the community against COVID-19, offering the vaccine at all seven polyclinics. In April 2021, Hougang Polyclinic organised a hybrid Mandarin dialogue session, in partnership with People’s Association (PA) and Ci Yuan Community Club, to help address residents’ concerns and queries on COVID-19 vaccination. As of 31 March 2022, some 255,000 doses of the vaccine were administered by NHGP to members of the public.
EXTENDED OPERATING HOURS TO COMBAT COVID-19
In response to the Ministry of Health (MOH)'s call for polyclinics to help manage the escalating number of patients with Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI), Woodlands Polyclinic and Kallang Polyclinic extended their operating hours on two weekends in February and March 2022.
OFFICIAL OPENING OF KALLANG POLYCLINIC TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY
In May 2022, NHGP officially opened Kallang Polyclinic to better meet the growing healthcare needs of residents in the area. The event was graced by Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung.
(left to right): Dr Valerie Teo, Family Physician, Consultant & Head of Kallang Polyclinic; Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung; A/Prof Chong Phui-Nah, CEO, NHGP & Primary Care; and Tan Tee How, Chairman, NHG, at the official opening of Kallang Polyclinic.
Kallang Polyclinic
In line with Healthier SG, Kallang Polyclinic offers a range of healthcare services to help residents take charge of their health and well-being. Some novel initiatives that provide comprehensive care to improve patients’ overall health outcomes include:
Fully-Automated Vaccine Management System
Kallang Polyclinic is the first NHG Polyclinic to pilot the use of a fully-automated Safety Manpower Productivity Accountability Real Time Analytics Vaccine (SMARTVacc) System, which enables live inventory tracking, and cross-checking of dispensed vaccines against an in-built image recognition system for enhanced patient safety.
Patient Advisory Council
The Patient Advisory Council (PAC) comprises residents who are also patients of the polyclinic, caregivers, and/or volunteers, who help co-create care solutions. The PAC serves as a voice for patients and the community, with members sharing their experience and insights with the care team to achieve better health outcomes.
Under the RELATE programme, elderly patients with complex medical and social needs are identified by NHGP and its community partners, so that a shared care plan can be developed to address the patient’s needs.
RELATE PROGRAMME
Under the RELATE (RELationship-based HeAlth & Social InTEgration) programme, the NHGP care team works closely with community partners to identify and develop shared care plans to support elderly patients with complex medical and social needs.
First introduced in Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic in September 2020, the programme is available at all NHG Polyclinics. RELATE patients will be supported through their healthcare journey by a Care Coach, who acts as a health buddy and a single point of contact between the patient and his/her healthcare team. This would help empower patients and families to navigate between NHGP, community partners, and hospitals.
The EMBRACEPLUS programme addresses health and social issues of vulnerable children aged 0-3 years old from low-income families.
EMBRACEPLUS PROGRAMME
The EMBRACEPLUS (Enhanced Maternal Baby ToddleR And Child SurvEillancePLUS) Programme integrates NHGP’s maternal and child health services, and is aimed at strengthening the mother and child dyad, particularly for at-risk families. EMBRACEPLUS seeks to identify children aged 0 to 3 years old from low-income families, and address their health and social issues. When these children visit the polyclinics for their vaccinations and developmental assessments, they will be screened for other medical, care, and financial needs.
Mothers will be screened for postnatal depression, and if required, be referred to the appropriate healthcare staff for interventions. For mothers with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy, the care team will review and manage their conditions accordingly.
EMBRACEPLUS was first piloted at Yishun Polyclinic in September 2020, and will be available in all NHG Polyclinics by March 2023.
NHGP PRIMARY CARE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
In December 2021, NHGP held its first virtual Primary Care Research Symposium to facilitate information exchange and networking among primary care professionals. Titled ‘Understanding Diabetes in Younger Adults’, the webinar featured various distinguished speakers from NHGP, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), as well as the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute based in Melbourne, Australia.
A second webinar was held in March 2022 on ‘Improving Primary Care Management of Asthma’. It featured Associate Professor Tang Wern Ee, Director of Clinical Research Unit, NHGP, and Chairperson of the Singapore National Asthma Programme-3, who shared research findings and updates on asthma management, as well as other experts from the National University Hospital (NUH), Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and Singapore General Hospital (SGH).