Record-breaking mosaic art piece is staff’s birthday present to NHGP.
Singapore, 7 November 2020 – To mark its twentieth year of providing quality primary healthcare, the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP) commemorated its 20th Anniversary today via a virtual event graced by President Halimah Yacob. Themed ‘20 Years of Better Healthcare Together’, the event also saw NHGP unveiling Singapore’s largest fabric photo mosaic, a birthday present by its staff, which earned a place in the Singapore Book of Records.
President Halimah said, “NHGP has played a key role in Singapore’s primary care landscape over the past two decades. In times like this, as we face the COVID-19 pandemic together, primary care plays an even more critical role in containing the virus and keeping our citizens safe and healthy. I thank the NHGP staff for their hard work and sacrifices in support of our nation’s fight against the pandemic.”
Building Strong Partnerships
Encouraging Results for PTEC Pilot
One such partnership NHGP has is with the Ministry of Health’s Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT). As part of the MOHT-NHGP Primary Tech-Enhanced Care (PTEC) hypertension pilot, patients with hypertension use a Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure (BP) device to measure their BP at home. The readings are then automatically transmitted through a mobile application from the patient’s phone to a polyclinic care team. Complementing this remote monitoring system is an SMS Chatbot that sends timely advice and reminds patients to take their readings. Together, these efforts save patients at least one visit to the polyclinic each year. Results from this PTEC pilot have shown significant improvement in BP control for participating patients, compared to patients in the control group. (Refer to Annex A for the summary results of the pilot).
Signing of NHGP–SUSS MCA
Another partnership that NHGP will cement is with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). NHGP and SUSS will soon be inking a Master Confirmation Agreement (MCA) to co-develop and co-run health-related courses, which could contribute towards the attainment of a degree in Applied Psychology. Course participants will be equipped with skills to guide and empower patients to better manage their health. This MCA marks the first such collaboration between NHGP and a tertiary education partner for the development of a course offered to the wider community.
Innovating for Better Patient Care
Expanding NHGP’s Suite of Tele-Health Services
Catalysed by the COVID-19 pandemic, NHGP expanded its suite of tele-health services to allow patients to consult their care teams safely and conveniently from their homes. New telehealth services such as Tele-DOT (Direct Observed Therapy), Tele-Physiotherapy and Tele-Dietetic were introduced. Since early this year, many patients have indicated their satisfaction with NHGP’s tele-health services, and more than 125,000 such sessions having been conducted just this year alone across its six polyclinics. (Refer to Annex B for a full list of NHGP’s tele-health services).
Implementing Initiatives for the Elderly
NHGP has also implemented various initiatives to better care for the elderly. One such initiative is NHGP’s Ageing-in-Place Studio launched at Toa Payoh Polyclinic in 2010 to empower senior citizens and caregivers of the elderly with knowledge and simple measures to make their homes safer. Since 2019, all six of its polyclinics have been conducting Advance Care Planning sessions to facilitate conversations about end-of-life care. NHGP also recently introduced a Frailty Screening Programme to identify at-risk elderly patients and educate them on steps to prevent or delay complications related to functional decline. To date, more than 1,000 patients have been screened under this programme. (Refer to Annex C for more details on NHGP’s Frailty Screening Programme).
Quality Care Beyond 20 Years
Commenting on NHGP’s journey, Associate Professor Chong Phui-Nah, Chief Executive Officer of NHGP and Primary Care said, “Over the past two decades, as NHGP grows from strength to strength, we remain firmly committed to improving the health and reducing illness of the population we serve. This can only be achieved through relationship-based care with our patients and the strong partnerships we have forged with various partners in the community. Looking ahead, NHGP hopes to continue this strong collaborative effort, with the goal of bringing Better Healthcare Together – for our patients, the community and the population at large.”
