St Luke’s ElderCare and SingHealth Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Enhance Community Health Initiatives in Singapore

St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC) and SingHealth sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today (13 September 2024) at the official opening of SLEC Active Ageing Centre (Care) @ Northshore. Guest-of-Honour, Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health, officiated the signing of the MoU.

SLEC is one of the largest community care providers in Singapore, offering quality care for more than 15,000 elders through home-care services and across 31 locations islandwide. SLEC provides a holistic continuum of health and social care services comprising centre-based (day care and day rehabilitation), home-based (home medical, nursing and therapy), community-based (active ageing) and residential-based (nursing home) services.

SingHealth, Singapore’s largest public healthcare cluster, is committed to providing affordable, accessible and quality healthcare to patients. With a network of acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics and community hospitals offering over 40 clinical specialties, it delivers comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and integrated care.

SLEC and SingHealth have a proven history of working together to support seamless transitions from hospital to community care. The newly signed MoU today formalises and expands this collaboration, providing a strategic framework to enhance and sustain joint efforts in addressing the evolving needs of Singapore’s ageing population. With established SLEC centres in areas like Anchorvale, Changkat, Marine Parade, Telok Blangah, Northshore, One Punggol, Rivervale, Sumang, and Tampines, the formalisation of this partnership will bring notable benefits. The MoU will enable SLEC to leverage SingHealth’s extensive network and resources to further enhance its service delivery across these areas.

Key highlights of the MoU include:

1. Care Coordination and Transitions: Develop joint care planning and case management processes to ensure seamless transitions between acute and community care. For example, SingHealth can refer patients requiring cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation to SLEC’s day rehabilitation facility in Anchorvale, enabling them to continue their recovery within their local community. Additionally, SingHealth will be able to establish Community Health Posts in SLEC’s centres.  This allows SingHealth’s place-based community care teams, known as SingHealth HealthierSG Teams, comprising Community Nurses and Wellbeing Coordinators to care for seniors in managing their chronic diseases and maintaining their well-being in their own neighbourhoods. These initiatives ensure that seniors receive accessible, continuous care while staying in the comfort of their own community.
2. Capability Building: Explore opportunities for joint training to enhance the skills and knowledge of staff members involved in the care of patients transitioning between settings.
3. Programming: Strengthen health promotion and active living for Singapore’s population and to play an important role in changing the health landscape in Singapore. For example, the “Kopi & Loti with You” programme, developed by Sengkang General Hospital, targets senior residents in rental flats who face elevated risks due to social determinants. The programme aims to improve their quality of life, delay health complications, and increase health literacy and preventive behaviours. By enhancing community health, it also seeks to reduce long-term healthcare costs by potentially lowering the need for acute services.
4. Research and Data: Co-develop research, and data collection and sharing protocols to better understand and serve the needs of the population.
5. Community Engagement: Joint action to support communications and advocacy for health and social activity across different platforms, enabling the population to take greater ownership of their health and wellness, strengthening primary and community care for our patients and enhancing our outreach, health promotion and disease prevention efforts.
6. Quality Improvement: Collaborative efforts will be undertaken to identify areas for quality improvement in the delivery of care across settings, with a focus on patient outcomes, safety, and satisfaction.

Adjunct Associate Professor (Dr) Kenny Tan, Chief Executive Officer at SLEC said, “We are delighted to join hands with SingHealth to create a seamless care journey for our seniors, enabling them to age gracefully within the community. By combining our expertise and resources, we aim to enhance the quality of life for our seniors, ensuring they receive the support and care they need at every stage of their life.”

Professor Lee Chien Earn, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer (Regional Health System) at SingHealth said, “This partnership with SLEC marks a significant step in our continuous effort to improve the health and well-being of the seniors in Singapore. By collaborating closely, we can ensure that our healthcare services are seamlessly integrated across both acute and community care settings, enabling us to provide holistic, person-centred care that truly meets the needs of our ageing population.”