NHGP’s first polyclinic, co-located in an integrated hub with community and social partners.
Singapore, 25 November 2023 – The National Healthcare Group Polyclinics (NHGP) officially opened its eighth polyclinic, Sembawang Polyclinic, officiated by Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Health. Located within Bukit Canberra, Sembawang Polyclinic offers patients and residents a range of health and social care services, through its partnership with co-located agencies in the integrated hub. As a one-stop healthcare centre, the polyclinic provides services such as acute and team-based chronic disease management, women and child health services, preventive healthcare, and integrated family support programmes, to meet the health and social needs of residents in the area.
Given Singapore’s rising prevalence of chronic diseases and Healthier SG’s focus on preventive care, Dr Karen Ng, Chief Executive Officer, NHGP believes that “Primary care is an important pillar of the healthcare system to keep individuals healthy, address preventive care needs and provide holistic, personalised care for patients across all ages. Extending NHGP’s engagement beyond healthcare, Sembawang Polyclinic has actively partnered agencies co-located in Bukit Canberra to integrate health and social services. From developing individualised care plans with patients, to supporting families with young children; Sembawang Polyclinic has collaborated with community partners to build an ecosystem of support, empowering patients to take charge of their health and achieve their health goals.”
Improving Health through Strong Partnerships
A distinctive aspect of Sembawang Polyclinic is its location within a network of community and social partners who provide health and social support for patients to take proactive steps to manage their health, prevent the onset of chronic diseases and lead healthier lifestyles aligned with the Healthier SG initiative.
The strategic proximity of Sembawang Polyclinic to the Active Health Lab, which is run by Sport Singapore (SportSG), enables robust collaborations between the NHGP’s care team and Active Health coaches. Through exercise prescription, the NHGP’s care team helps patients develop their exercise goals and recommends programmes and referrals to the Active Health Lab. Active Health coaches will conduct a fitness and health assessment, and provide customised coaching to empower residents to make lifestyle changes to improve their health. This collaborative effort seeks to better support patients in achieving their health goals more holistically.
Starting from early 2024, NHGP, in collaboration with NParks, will offer mindfulness walks for patients from Sembawang Polyclinic. Mindful walking, especially in nature, is known to improve sleep, increase alertness, enhance mood and reduce psychological distress. These walks will be conducted at the therapeutic garden, located at Bukit Canberra as part of therapeutic horticulture activities to promote mental well-being.
Integrating Health and Social Services for Better Family Support
To enhance the integration of health and social services, Sembawang Polyclinic will feature the first Family Nexus in the Central and Northern region of Singapore, in support of the Ministry of Health’s Child and Maternal Health and Well-being Strategy. Family Nexus provides a one-stop health and social services hub, catering to families and families-to-be, from couples planning for marriage and parenthood to those with young children.
Being part of Sembawang Polyclinic, Family Nexus has the advantage of forging collaborations with the co-located agencies in Bukit Canberra integrated hub and other supporting agencies, with the aim of connecting patients and residents to their services and programmes. Under Family Nexus, NHGP collaborates with partners such as Care Corner Singapore, Families for Life (FFL) and Sport Singapore (SportSG) to offer complimentary programmes that aim to strengthen family bonds, equip parents with valuable parenting skills, nurture the emotional well-being of children and to provide a supportive network for families. These include the Purposeful Play Programme that helps children’s development through play and common activities, early literacy for children, facilitated peer support group to help parents learn from the experiences of other families and a host of bonding activities and workshops for parents and children to partake. Children from families with health, social and financial issues will also be connected to NHGP’s EMBRACE PLUS (Enhanced Maternal Baby ToddleR And Child SurvEillance PLUS) programme.
EMBRACEPLUS takes a holistic approach to managing the care of the mother-child dyad and supports at-risk children aged 0 to 3 years old from low-income families, to help address their health, social and financial issues. Besides ensuring the completion of Childhood Developmental Screening (CDS) and childhood immunisations, the NHGP care team also identifies and addresses the medical, care and/or financial needs of mother/caregiver and child. In addition, mothers are screened for postnatal depression and receive follow-up care if they have a history of gestational diabetes. The NHGP care team also works with social and community partners, such as KidSTART, to provide a supportive ecosystem for continuity of care.
Patient Empowerment and Self-Management
NHGP recognises the importance of innovations such as Tele-Health Consultations, that was first introduced in September 2013 as part of Tele-Health innovations. Since then, NHGP has conducted close to 380,000 Tele-Consultations, provided by doctors, nurses and Allied Health Professionals. A patient satisfaction survey showed that almost 90% of patients found Tele-Health services to be useful. The integration of Tele-Health services, as part of NHGP’s Teamlet care model, provides patients with greater accessibility to healthcare services.
Strengthening patient empowerment through new innovations, Sembawang Polyclinic will be the first in NHGP to roll out the wheelchair-friendly weighing machine for patients with mobility needs. Patients who require their weight to be taken can remain in their wheelchairs while weighing themselves with ease, making weight measurements safe, effortless and convenient.
Engaging Patients and the Community in Health Promotion
Apart from innovations, NHGP places strong emphasis on partnerships with patients and the community. To empower individuals to adopt practical healthy lifestyle habits, a Health and Wellness Studio located within the polyclinic will feature health promotion activities. These include resistance training fitness activities or cooking workshops with hands-on participation to educate on healthier cooking methods, such as the use of natural ingredients, like herbs, from the community garden located on the grounds of Bukit Canberra.
Recognising the importance of the patient’s voice in care delivery, NHGP has set up the Patient Advisory Council (PAC) at Sembawang Polyclinic. Comprising volunteers who are patients and caregivers, the PAC works with the clinic management team to co-design and enhance the patient care journey in Sembawang Polyclinic.
At today’s event, Minister Ong launched a community artpiece made up of more than a hundred hand-painted hexagon tiles and interwoven nautical ropes. Inspired by the heritage of Sembawang as a naval base, the artpiece is made up of more than a hundred hand-painted hexagon tiles with marine elements, and interwoven nautical ropes. Elements such as seashells, with their hard outer layer, symbolise resilience and determination of the team at Sembawang Polyclinic, while the interwoven nautical ropes represent Sembawang Polyclinic’s collaboration with patients, partners and the community to build a stronger primary care network.
Conclusion
Dr Irwin Chung, Family Physician, Associate Consultant, and Head of Sembawang Polyclinic shared, “The Sembawang community serves a large population of younger residents and families. Many of these residents are currently seeking care at Woodlands and Yishun Polyclinic. With the opening of the Sembawang Polyclinic today, residents now enjoy comprehensive health services closer to their homes. We look forward to partnering residents and patients to proactively manage their health, and together, build a Healthier Sembawang and a Healthier SG.”
For more information, please refer to Annex A.
