singhealth annual report 2009

BEHIND EVERY PATIENTSINGHEALTH ANNUAL REPORT 2009

CONTENTS

01 Introduction02 Chairman’s Message06 Group CEO’s Message10 Celebrating 10 years of Medical Excellence16 Patient Care22 Education28 Research32 Our People36 Community Engagement40 SingHealth Institutions99 Board of Directors104 Chief Executive Offi cers Chairmen, Medical Boards Directors of National Specialty Centres105 Corporate Offi ce Directors106 Key Figures107 Financial Information108 Directory

On the Cover: Cancer survivor Ms Dewi Hermawati,patient of the National Cancer Centre Singapore.Read her story on Page 67.

Our patients remain at the heart of all we do. Sometimes, they come to the fore as shining models of inspiration. They motivate our staff to higher standards of care and encourage other patients in their healing. But at all times, they stand with us – hand in hand and side by side as we plan and work with them on their journey to recovery.

We can do this because behind every patient at SingHealth is a group of dedicated healthcare professionals, a set of sound governance practices, and an infrastructure centred around people. As we move from strength to strength in our 10th year as a Group, we are ever committed to this singular purpose – to always put our best foot forward for the benefi t of our patients and the community today, and for generations to come.

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

HAND IN HA NDTen years is a signifi cant milestone for any organisation. Coming together as a Group, despite some challenges, has realised multiple benefi ts for SingHealth. Thanks to clustering, our doctors, nurses and staff are able to work closely with their counterparts at different SingHealth institutions. This synergy has led to the sharing of best practices, greater coordination in terms of policies, economies of scale and better fi nancial management for all our institutions. This, in turn has helped to raise the quality of medical care that we provide as a Group.”

Peter SeahChaiman

“

02 03 /

Ten years is a signifi cant milestone for any organisation. Coming together as a Group, despite some challenges, has realised multiple benefi ts for SingHealth. The Group has persevered through major epidemics such as SARS, avian fl u and H1N1, has achieved international research breakthroughs and provides robust healthcare support services in the areas of medical IT, strategic sourcing, and clinical quality. Thanks to clustering, our doctors, nurses and staff are able to work closely with their counterparts at different SingHealth institutions. This synergy has led to the sharing of best practices, greater coordination in terms of policies, economies of scale and better fi nancial management for all our institutions. This, in turn has helped to raise the quality of medical care that we provide as a Group.

SingHealth continued to perform well in delivering appropriate, accessible and affordable public healthcare in 2009, as evidenced by the improved showing in the Ministry of Health Customer Satisfaction Survey Results. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Singapore General Hospital emerged among the top three hospitals with highest overall satisfaction ratings while National Heart Centre Singapore was chosen by patients as one of the top three specialty centres.

Today, I believe that the quality of medical care within the SingHealth Group is second to none. We have senior doctors and specialists who provide high quality patient care and also engage in cutting edge research and medical education. These highly skilled and sought-after professionals work in public healthcare because they see it as a calling. They want to be able to serve the community and ensure that their skills are accessible to anyone who needs it.

Our other healthcare professionals are equally equipped with advanced skills and ongoing training and education. Among our nurses, we have highly accomplished individuals with university degrees and a growing number of PhDs. Many of our allied health professionals have Masters degrees. This thirst to continually improve their skills and knowledge is what is making radical changes to the care that our patients receive in the public healthcare system.

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

Today, I believe that the quality of medical care within the SingHealth Group is second to none. We have senior doctors and specialists who provide high quality patient care and also engage in cutting edge research and medical education. These highly skilled and sought-after professionals work in public healthcare because they see it as a calling. They want tobe able to serve the community and ensure that their skills are accessible to anyone who needs it.

Part of the attraction of belonging to the public healthcare system is the opportunity to pursue research. Many of our specialists author research papers that are published in prestigious medical journals around the world. They also engage in important clinical trials that enable them to be atthe forefront of medicine. To further strengthen our strong research capabilities and tradition of education, we are now working with the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School to pursue Academic Medicine.

In addition, SingHealth institutions employ some of the latest medical technology available. Last August, the National Heart Centre Singapore introduced a magnetic navigation system to treat patients with complex abnormal heart rhythms such as rapid or irregular heartbeats. It is the fi rst in Southeast Asia and among the fi rst few in Asia to introduce this new magnetic navigation system for catheter ablation.

In April 2010, Singapore General Hospital added the latest generation da Vinci Si dual console surgical robot, which allows two surgeons to simultaneously collaborate during surgery, and provides more precision and dexterity. Currently, surgeons at SGH Campus use the robotic surgical system to perform minimally-invasive urological, colorectal, gynaecological and cardiothoracic surgery. Robotic surgery offers patients smaller incisions, less blood loss, less pain, quicker recovery and shorter hospital stays. Our commitment to offering our patients the best care is steadfast and we will continue to explore ways of improving medical care.

This is not to say, that we believe we are perfect. There is always room for improvement. Because we provide high quality care at an affordable rate, our patient volume is extremely high. Waiting times are longer than we would like them to be. With the increasing ageing population, realistically we know that we will continue to be challenged to improve this and also boost our level of effi ciency. Rest assured that the Board is aware of the challenges and reducing waiting times is one of our key priorities for the year ahead.

We also recognise that our staff are our most important resource. We have put in place a scheme to retain specialists and have recently signed a new labour agreement with the Healthcare Services Employees Union that improves salaries and benefi ts for nurses and allied health professionals.

We do all this so that we can continue to provide the high level of medical care that we are known for and that our patients expect from us. We have achieved much in our fi rst 10 years and we plan to improve even further in the decades to come.

Peter SeahChairman

04 05 /

SIDE BY SIDE

GROUP CEO’S MESSAGE

Our challenges will be to continue to manage healthcare costs, attractand retain talent, tackle scarcity of space, build capacity and capability, and fortify our institutions against disease outbreaks. At the same time, our journey in pursuit of Academic Medicine must continue to transform care for Singaporeans.”

Prof Tan Ser KiatGroup CEO

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06 07 /

FY 2009 was a good year despite the outbreak of H1N1 infl uenza which temporarily affected some of our plans. Our institutions wrapped up the year on a positive note with many faring well in the Ministry of Health’s Customer Satisfaction Survey and the Singapore National Eye Centre joining the ranks of Joint Commission International-accredited SingHealth institutions. In early 2010, Singapore General Hospital was the fi rst in Asia to achieve Magnet designation – the highest institutional honour for nursing excellence and leadership awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Centre.

IMPROVING CARE & DELIVERYTo address growing patient volumes, our institutions upgraded and created new facilities such as SGH’s Same Day Admission Centre, a state-of-the-art Isolation ward and new clinics at National Heart Centre Singapore.

Efforts to make national electronic medical records for every patient a reality saw progress with the implementation and rollout of the Nurse Charting, Closed Loop Medication Management, Computerised Physician Order Entry and Sunrise Medication Management modules in our institutions.

STRENGTHENING EDUCATIONA key focus in boosting our education capabilities this year was the establishment of the SingHealth Residency Program. This will run in tandem with the current training programmes which has produced many top clinicians. The Residency Program is a more systematic, structured and enhanced training programme for specialists and family physicians.

SingHealth is one of two Sponsoring Institutions in Singapore, chosen for our heritage in medical education and track record in clinical excellence and we are committed to making this Program a success.

REFINING RESEARCHWe boosted the governance and integration of our research efforts in FY09. This was achieved by establishing a centralised cluster-wide Institutional Review Board to strengthen the ethical review of research; the SingHealth Tissue Repository as a centralised resource for donated tissue and serum; and the Centralised Institutional Biosafety Committee.

Our research infrastructure was boosted with the opening of the Investigational Medicine Unit for early phase clinical trials, the largest public sector early phase clinical research unit with the only Chronobiology Lab in this part of the world; this will be further enhanced with the building of the new Research Tower at the SGH Pathology Building that will facilitate close collaboration and exchangeof research ideas between SingHealth institutionsand Duke-NUS.

These developments are fuelled by the signifi cant achievements of our researchers in the local and international arena, with several national award wins and publications in world class, high-impact journals such as Nature, Lancet Oncology and Cancer Research amongst others.

Collectively, these efforts put us in good steadto compete for grant funding to pursue more

GROUP CEO’S MESSAGE

To advance our pursuit of Academic Medicine, we continuously foster closer partnerships with Duke-NUS. One step is the formalisation of joint appointments of staff in key positions and the creation of Academic Clinical Departments to cross share expertise. October 2010 also sees the fi rst jointly-organised SingHealth-Duke-NUS Scientifi c Congress which serves as a platform to share research fi ndings, knowledge and expertise and encourage joint research projects.

cutting edge research that will make a differenceto patient care.

LOOKING AHEADWith an ageing population our challenges will be to continue to manage healthcare costs, attract and retain talent, tackle scarcity of space, build capacity and capability and fortify our institutions against disease outbreaks. At the same time, our journey in pursuit of Academic Medicine must continue to transform care for Singaporeans.

Our fi rst strategic thrust will be the redevelopment of SGH Campus, with the completion of the Multi Storey Car Park, the construction of SGH Pathology Building and the new National Heart Centre Singapore Building as part of Phase I of the Masterplan. Several polyclinics will also be refurbished and improved.

The second strategic thrust will be to continue to ensure timely access to care and manage the bed crunch by making critical and urgent cases our priority. Although non-urgent elective surgeries will continue to be postponed when necessary, we must remain objective and accept this disruption so that patients who are critically ill will get the care they urgently need. To optimise bed capability, we have started operating a 24-bed Rehabilitation Medicine ward at Alexandra Hospital and will continue to explore similar opportunities.

Thirdly, we will continuously put in place sound governance structures to continuously review and improve care processes and reduce ineffi ciencies. In addition, our vision is for all nine SingHealth institutions to be accredited by Joint Commission International by 2011. Plans to enhance clinical integration with community health partners such as General Practitioners and Intermediate and Long Term Care providers are also underway.

In tandem, we will also continue to make prudent investments in healthcare technology to provide our patients leading edge medical care. These include high-tech medical equipment and systems to ensure seamless care delivery.

In people development, we have many talent initiatives and career models that we will be rolling out to recognise talent and remain an employer of choice in the healthcare industry.

To advance our pursuit of Academic Medicine, we continuously foster closer partnerships with Duke-NUS. One step is the formalisation of joint appointments of staff in key positions and the creation of Academic Clinical Departments to cross share expertise. October 2010 also sees the fi rst jointly-organised SingHealth-Duke-NUS Scientifi c Congress which serves as a platform to share research fi ndings, knowledge and expertise and encourage joint research projects.

We will invest more in clinical and translational research and our main emphasis in education is to build up the new SingHealth Residency Program and ensure a high standard of clinical education and teaching for students of both the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

The road ahead gives us the opportunity to scale new heights in medical science, clinical care, research and the training of future generations of even better healthcare professionals. Whatever SingHealth has achieved to date has been accomplished with the primary focus of putting our patients at the heart of all we do. We will continue to keep this central aim our focus as we journey together to Defi ne Tomorrow’s Medicine.

Professor Tan Ser KiatGroup CEO, SingHealth

08 09 /

STRENGTHTO STRENGTH

Mr Lok Mun Leng (left) plays an important role in keeping healthcare affordable for patients. Through strategic sourcing, the Assistant Director of the Group Procurement Offi ce has helped SingHealth to save millions of dollars on the purchase of drugs, supplies, equipment and IT services.

Mr Koh Kim Guan’s (right) heart might be a little patched, thanks to valve replacement surgery in 1995, but it keeps him going as a full-time volunteer for SGH. He manages a retail cart at SGH and in 13 years has raised some $160,000 for the SGH Needy Patient fund, helping countless patients in need.

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF MEDICAL EXCELLENCE

A high-fi ve to ten years of medical excellence! Since its inception in 2000, SingHealth as a Group has much to celebrate: from quantum leaps in medical advancements to internationally-recognised awards and accreditations. Each one is a patient-inspired milestone.

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MAJOR MILESTONES IN SINGHEALTH

SINGHEALTH IS ESTABLISHEDSingHealth, Singapore’s largest healthcare group, provides affordable and accessible quality healthcare to patients. It brings together 3 hospitals, 5 national spe-cialty centres and 9 polyclinics, backed by international-ly qualifi ed medical specialists and advanced diagnostic and treatment medical technology, offering a complete range of multi-disciplinary and integrated medical care.


2000

SINGHEALTH CHAMPIONS QUALITY The Clinical Practice Improvement Programme (CPIP), which focuses on quality improvement methodology and its application to enhance patient care is started. CPIP encourages staff to identify an “issue” at work, fi nd its root causes, and brainstorm ways to resolve it to ultimately improve patient care.

SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS WITH STRATEGIC SOURCING Set up in 2003, the SingHealth General Procurement Offi ce (GPO) purchases drugs, supplies, equipment and IT services for SingHealth institutions. To date, it has saved a total of $120 million for the SingHealth Group (including drugs for the National Healthcare Group and government bodies), helping to contain healthcare costs. Recognising its best procurement practices, the Agency for Integrated Care invited SingHealth GPO to help healthcare charities manage bulk purchases of necessities and lower their costs of medical supplies, starting with a two-year pilot programme in 2010.

2003

2002

2001

SINGHEALTH FOUNDATION IS SET UPSingHealth Foundation, a not-for-profi t grantmaking organisation that facilitates fundraising and awards grants for programmes to help elevate the quality of healthcare is set up. Its core areas of focus are Singapore Cord Blood Bank, Understanding patient care, Research and Education or “CURE”.

2004REVOLUTIONARY “TOOTH-IN-EYE” SURGERYSpecialists from the Singapore National Eye Centre and the National Dental Centre Singapore successfully collaborated to restore vision to the most severe cases of corneal and ocular surface patients via a revolutionary procedure that involves implanting a tooth in the eye.

CHANGI SPORTS MEDICINE CENTRE OPENSEstablished in 2002, the Changi Sports Medicine Centre is the largest multidisciplinary Sports Medicine Centre in Singapore. It actively champions sports safety development and provides medical coverage for high profi le sporting events such as the Formula 1™ SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.

DRUG ELUTING STENTThe National Heart Centre Singapore introduces the revolutionary drug eluting stent that prevents re-narrowing of arteries by releasing an antibiotic. This benefi ts diabetic patients and those whose arteries are naturally small.

A LEADER IN ROBOTICS SURGERYSGH performs the region’s fi rst robot-assisted surgery for prostate cancer in 2001. Since then surgeons have performed more than 500 surgical procedures using the da Vinci robotics system. In April 2010, SGH added the latest generation da Vinci Si dual console surgical robot to support minimally invasive surgery across a broad range of clinical specialties.

SINGHEALTH INSTITUTIONS RECEIVE JOINT COMMISSION INTERNATIONAL (JCI) ACCREDITATIONPatients are assured of safe and quality care at SingHealth’s three hospitals – Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital – and the National Heart Centre of Singapore, as they achieved the prestigious JCI accreditation in 2005.

CLINICAL BREAKTHROUGH FORCANCER PATIENTS National Cancer Centre Singapore defi nes the global standard in treating locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) with a randomised clinical trial showing benefi t of adding chemotherapy to radiation. It also performs the world’s fi rst successful sibling blood stem cell transplant and upfront T cell immunotherapy for advanced NPC.

2005

SINGHEALTH POLYCLINICS STARTS THE FAMILY PHYSICIAN CLINICSingHealth Polyclinics starts the Family Physician Clinic for patients with chronic diseases. The clinic offers longer dedicated consultation time and greater patient-doctor engagement.

2006

THE WORLD’S FIRST DIGITALLY INTEGRATED OPERATING SUITEThe world’s fi rst state-of-the-art digitally integrated operating suite, the Khoo Teck Puat – NNI Integrated Neuroscience Centre, housed in SGH’s major operating theatres allows surgeons to performhighly complex surgical procedures in less timewith improved patient outcomes.

SINGHEALTH ALICE LEE IAN EARNS INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATIONThe SingHealth Alice Lee Institute of Advanced Nursing (IAN), a leading provider of postgraduate nursing education, earned the prestigious accreditation by the Accreditation American Nurses Credentialing Centre as a Continuing Nursing Education Provider. The Institute was the fi rst in Asia and only the third country out of the United States to receive this international accreditation. The Institute was named the SingHealth Alice Lee IAN in memory of the late Mrs Alice Lee, mother of Lee Foundation’s Chairman Dr Lee Seng Gee. The Lee Foundation and DS Lee Foundation have been strong supporters of SingHealth’s nursing development endeavours over the years.

SGH CAMPUS RENEWALConstruction of two new facilities on SGH Campus commences to provide patients with enhanced access to a wider range of healthcare services. Patients can look forward to faster laboratory test results with the new SGH Pathology building, and a three-fold increase in the number of clinics for cardiovascular care at the new National Heart Centre building.

2007

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2009

INNOVATIVE LAPAROSCOPY TECHNIQUES AT KKHKKH doctors are among the fi rst to remove cornual and ectopic pregnancies, and perform a hysterectomy through single port laparoscopy that is done through an incision as narrow as two centimeters in the navel. KKH is also the fi rst in Singapore to remove choledochal cysts in children through laparoscopy.

BREAKING NEW GROUND WITH DUKE-NUS GRADUATE MEDICAL SCHOOLThe Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School offi cially opens in September 2009. The presence of Singapore’s second medical school on SGH Campus helps to spur SingHealth’s pursuit of Academic Medicine. In collaboration with Duke-NUS, SingHealth provides the clinical teaching environment for its students. Our clinical staff also assume teaching positions at the School, contributing their practical skills and knowledge.

SINGHEALTH ACADEMYTo build on its strong history in healthcare education, SingHealth Academy, as an education collaboration between SingHealth’s institutions and education centres, is launched. The Academy galvanises resources, expertise and infrastructure to support SingHealth’s pursuit of Academic Medicine.

BOOSTING SINGHEALTH’S RESEARCH ENVIRONMENTThe Centralised IRB is set up to streamline the review process, and ensure that high quality research ethics reviews are put in place to benefi t and protect human subjects involved in research. Research infrastructure is also boosted to facilitate the conduct of basic, translational and clinical research in SingHealth. The SingHealth Tissue Repository provides tissues for researchers, and engages in R&D in tissue preservation techniques and research resource management. The SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit is set up to conduct early phase clinical trials in novel drugs, devices, biologics, and diagnostics.


2008CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENTThe SingHealth Delivering On Target (DOT) programme that fi rst achieved improved clinical outcomes for diabetics in 2005 is extended to be the national DOT programme that provides quality and cost-effective care for those suffering from chronic diseases.

CUTTING-EDGE DENTAL IMAGINGThe National Dental Centre Singapore introduces the new cone beam CT scanner that generates improved three-dimensional images of patients’ jaws, teeth and surrounding soft tissue to enhance treatment planning for patients undergoing dental implants and corrective jaw surgeries.

SINGHEALTH RECOGNISED FOR AGE-FRIENDLYHR PRACTICESSingHealth is one of ten inaugural winners of the AARP International Innovative Employer Awards 2008. The award recognises employers who demonstrate innovative and best practices for mature workers. Singapore was the only Asian country featured at the Awards and this was the fi rst time the Awards were conferred to employers outside of the United States.

IMPROVING CLINICAL OUTCOMES BY EMPLOYING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYSingHealth embarks on the Mission for Improving Clinical Outcomes (MICO) journey to upgrade its existing electronic medical records infrastructure so that each patient will have a unifi ed medical record. This will allow patients to move seamlessly across the care continuum for treatment, without duplication of tests and scans, while doctors can have a single, comprehensive and timely online view of patients’ medical data, enabling better clinical decision-making.

2010

SINGAPORE HEALTH The inaugural issue of Singapore Health, a bimonthly newspaper by SingHealth and SGH, is launched. It aims to provide readers with an understanding of SingHealth institutions’ service offerings and information on how to navigate the healthcare processes as inpatients and outpatients.

SINGHEALTH EXTENDS HUMANITARIAN AIDThe SingHealth Humanitarian Relief Programme is launched to consolidate the efforts of SingHealth’s medical expertise and staff volunteers who provide medical aid, sustainable community recovery and reconstruction aid to victims of calamities in the region.

SINGHEALTH RESIDENCY PROGRAM IS LAUNCHED SingHealth has incorporated the US Residency Program into its medical education. The Program features a structured training framework with standards advised by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I) and continuous monitoring and formative assessment to evaluate residents’ skills. SingHealth is the largest sponsoring institution for the Residency Program in Singapore.

MANAGEMENT TRAINING FORHEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALSSingHealth, in partnership with the Singapore Management University, rolls out the inaugural “Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management & Leadership Programme”. This programme provides clinicians and healthcare professionals with the necessary business knowledge and skills to excel in healthcare management and business leadership.

A LEADER IN TRANSPLANT SERVICESThe inaugural SingHealth Transplant Awareness Week, with the theme “Gift of Life. Gift of Hope.”, is started in July 2010 to raise awareness of organ donation and transplantation. The week celebrates key transplant milestones for the Group including Asia’s fi rst combined heart and liver transplant, a kidney transplant for Singapore’s oldest living donor aged 75, and a dual kidney transplant using both kidneys from a deceased donor over the age of 60. Since 1962, some 5000 organ transplants have been carried out at SGH campus, which has become a transplant hub for Singapore and the region.

ONLINE HEALTH PORTALSingHealth launches HealthXchange, a one-stop online healthcare portal that gives Singaporeans easy access to comprehensive and reliable healthcare information tailored for Asians.

SGH RECEIVES MAGNET™ ACCREDITATIONIn April 2010, Singapore General Hospital becomes the fi rst hospital in Asia to receive a prestigious award, the Magnet™ Recognition, issued by the American Nurses Credentialing Centre to recognise hospitals for nursing excellence and leadership.

LABORATORY ANIMAL CARE ACCREDITATIONThe SingHealth Experimental Medicine Centre (SEMC) is awarded Continued Full Accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). The accreditation affi rms the SEMC’s international standards, to achieve high quality outcomes in research science.

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PATIENT CARE

HEART TOHEART

At the heart of healing is the art of listening. What services and facilities do patients really need in hospital? What support do they need whenthey are discharged to recover and get back to their normal routine? When it comes to patient care, we are all ears.

Ashley Tan, 5, was rushed to KKH Children’s Emergency Department and treated for febrile fi t. It was a terrifying time for the 5-year-old and her parents. Fortunately, nurses like Staff Nurse Shafi qa Bte Muhamad Saleh, were there to attend to them. Their ready smiles and friendly dispositions made all the difference to help reassure them.

16 17 /

CLINICAL GOVERNANCE & QUALITY MANAGEMENTSingHealth’s department of Clinical Governance & Quality Management (CGQM) aims to strengthen the clinical governance framework by applying proven quality improvement techniques and methodologies to problems faced in the wards.

In FY09, Clinical Quality indicators and quality improvement projects were included as part of the performance assessment of individuals for the fi rst time, underlying its increasing importance. Clinical Quality indicators now make up 10 per cent of the total score in the performance bonus matrix. SingHealth has also set up a Risk Management Offi ce under Chief Risk Offi cer Prof Fock Kwong Ming, to provide an integrated view of risks and enhance risk management decision-making process.

In quality improvement, CGQM led in identifying, coordinating and training the SingHealth Improvement Faculty, which currently has 16 members. The faculty taught the joint NHG-SingHealth clinical practice improvement programme. Three workshops were organised last year, and more than 90 participants attended to learn how to identify root causes of problems, develop small tests of change, improve workfl ow and ensure that patients benefi t from better clinical outcomes.

Heads of department also attended CGQM’s fi rst training course for them covering improvement methodology, with emphasis on the critical role they play in spearheading improvement efforts.

The ongoing Clinical Practice Improvement Programme (CPIP) methodology has resulted in numerous improvements to procedures. Forexample, the cardiothoracic surgery department at the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), has managed to cut the time of extracorporeal lifesupport by as much as half using CPIP methodology.

In the past, help for these patients was delayed because of transportation and slow response times. The department came up with various recommendations to speed up the process. These included downsizing the cart that holds the lifesaving equipment to fi t into a car, simplifying the workfl ow so that the perfusionist can go straight to the hospital instead of having to report to NHCS fi rst, and training other doctors and nurses to set up the heart-lung machine to shorten preparation time. With these changes, the waiting time for patients referred from Tan Tock Seng Hospital has fallen by 27.9 per cent. Likewise, the waiting time for patients referred from Changi General Hospital has fallen by 46.2 per cent.

Thanks to the efforts of all institutions, fi ve out of the 10 awards given out at the MOH Clinical Quality Improvement Conference last year were awarded to SingHealth institutions. A project by SingHealth Polyclinics – Pasir Ris to improve blood pressure control in patients with cardiovascular diseases won fi rst prize. Another project from KKH to reduce the healthcare-associated bloodstream infections in very low birth weight infants was the fi rst runner-up.

PATIENT CARE

Various departments within SingHealth such as the Department of Clinical Governance and Quality Management, the Group Procurement Offi ce, the Service Quality Department and IT drive initiatives to help the institutions within the cluster to deliver better patient care.

STRATEGIC SOURCINGSingHealth’s Group Procurement Offi ce (GPO), aims to make healthcare more affordable for patients by leveraging on economies of scale and forging partnership with vendors. With smart procurement practices, it paved the way for SingHealth to save $23.3 million last year. This was done by switching to generic drugs; consolidating major diagnostic equipment with strong involvement from clinicians; and reviewing and restructuring medical and offi ce supplies as well as corporate travel management.

GPO also conducted regular audits and visits to suppliers as part of its quality assurance checks.In addition, through continuous dialogue sessionswith vendors, GPO was able to learn about new industry practices and developments.

Last year, GPO organised an in-house seminar and an external seminar on strategic sourcing for healthcare providers in SingHealth and for the Asean region respectively. The aim was to help clinicians, nurses, pharmacists, buyers, paramedical and operations staff involved in the evaluation of drugs, medical supplies and services to understand the rationale behind strategic sourcing.

Apart from assisting SingHealth institutions, GPO was also tasked by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) under MOH Holdings to provide expertise and resources to improve procurement and supply chain management of nursing homes by establishing group term contracts for common and standardised consumables, services and maintenance. The team worked closely with about 28 VWO nursing homes and community hospitals. As a result, annual savings of more than 5 per cent for milk feed and adult diapers contracts was attained.

QUALITY SERVICEThe Service Quality Department aims to improve service levels throughout the cluster. In the last FY, the department organised a Service Excellence Retreat for representatives from different departments to identify perceived gaps in procedures and suggest possible solutions to close these gaps. A number of solutions were worked out to address service quality gaps. For example, to help patients and visitors navigate around the hospitals, patient ambassadors are stationed strategically around SingHealth institutions to guide them and provide maps to help them fi nd their way.

INSPIRATIONAL PATIENTSLast year, SingHealth also started a programme to recognise patients who have inspired SingHealth staff and displayed outstanding positive behaviour and attitudes. The inaugural SingHealth Inspirational Patient Awards was held in March 2010. A total of 14 nominations were received and the top three winners were selected by an e-Poll by more than 1,600 SingHealth staff. The three winners were Ms Susan Ginsberg, the late Mr Joey Kong, and the late Ms Helen Hee.

Ms Ginsberg is a former gynaecological cancer patient at KKH. Since she recovered, she became part of a befriender group that helps to comfort patients. She sees patients once or twice a week and shares her story to encourage them. Susan also teaches patients how to improve their image to boost their self-esteem.

The late Mr Kong was a soft tissue cancer patient at SGH who took it upon himself to help allay the fears and concerns of newly diagnosed patients. He became the Chairman of the Ostomy Club from 2004 to 2006, and helped to plan outings and activities for participants to share their experiences with others. He passed away in September 2009.

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The fi nal winner, the late Ms Helen Hee, was a cervical cancer patient at NCCS. She founded The Revival Connection (TRC), a support group for patients with advanced and recurring cancers. Under her leadership, the TRC Support Group grew four-fold and provided comfort to many. She passed away in October 2009.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY A number of cluster-wide IT projects to improve patient outcomes were implemented. In June last year, SingHealth and Microsoft entered an agreement to co-develop an integrated radiology management solution. This is a Ministry of Health-funded project for the implementation of a standardised enterprise-wide integrated system for storing electronic images such as ultrasounds and computed tomography (CT) scans. The system will have Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE) and voice recognition capabilities to make it easier for physicians to use.

In addition, patients can now manage their outpatient appointments at SingHealth institutions thanks to the new e-Appointment system introduced in August last year. Using their SingPass ID, patients can view, reschedule, cancel and make new appointments. SingHealth also embarked on the electronic Health Intelligence System (eHINTS), which is a new enterprise Data Warehouse that consolidates Business and Clinical information in a single repository.

In October 2009, the fi rst phase of the Delivering on Target IT System was implemented. This system manages patients who are discharged from specialist outpatient clinics to the care of general practitioners and polyclinics. The system allows doctors to track and monitor the patient’s health even after discharge.

To provide useful medical information and advice on healthy living, SingHealth set up the HealthXchange Portal, offi cially launched in January 2010. Through this portal, members of the public can access expert content and take ownership of their own health.

January 2010 also marked the date when an image sharing system between SingHealth and the National Healthcare Group of hospitals was introduced. Funded by the Ministry of Health, the system allows clinicians to access diagnostic radiology images taken of their patients at any hospital in the two clusters. This keeps costs down for patients as they do not need unnecessary radiology procedures when consulting at different hospitals.

A 3D in-building visualisation technology has been rolled out in hospitals such as KKH, SGH and CGH to help patients and visitors navigate around the hospital online and plan their route for their visit before they step into the hospital.

In March 2010, SingHealth launched a Rheumatoid Arthritis System (RAS), which enables rapid and precise data entry to derive the Disease Activity Index (DAS 28) score for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients, providing better care for patients. Studies have shown that using the index improves patient outcomes by allowing doctors to treat patients to a target.

In the same month, the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) System went live. It offers a streamlined system workfl ow for all healthcare delivery partners in the management of chronic disease patients to improve patient care across the continuum. This system facilitates a more complete medical records of each patient in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. The programme currently focuses on three diseases: diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

PATIENT CARE

Apart from cluster-wide projects, individual hospitals and specialist centres also embarked on IT projects which were specifi c to their needs. KKH implemented a Risk Management System in April 2009 to improve patient safety. With the system in place, leaders are able to analyse the data more easily and also identify causes of problems as well as recognise risk trends.

In July 2009, the hospital implemented the integrated Closed Loop Medication Management (CLMM) and Sunrise Medication Manager (SMM) that integrates the prescription orders by clinicians and drug administration by nurses with verifi cation by the pharmacist. The tight integration prevents errors in delivering medication. KKH has also embarked on the Robotic Pharmacy project, which uses an inpatient pharmacy automated system to pack unit-doses. This system integrates with the Inpatient Medication Orders and the Electronic Medication Administration Systems. All these components help to ensure the fi ve ‘Rights’: Right Patient, Right Drug, Right Dosage, Right Route and Right Time.

In September, KKH implemented the Immersive Technology project, which helps to distract children undergoing surgical procedures under local anaesthesia with interesting and entertaining video content.

SGH has also embarked on a number of IT projects. In May 2009, SGH implemented the Bed Management System (BMS) to more effi ciently fi nd available beds and assign patients to the relevant wards. The Bed Management System (BMS) uses radio frequency ID, electronic dashboards at the wards and online real-time information of bed status. SGH’s Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Registry on the web has gone international. Since March 2010, the Registry system has been available to International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA) members. The registry is a database for liver cancer which contains common data fi elds relating to the disease, including outcomes of treatment.

In September 2009, CGH and NHCS jointly implemented the Cardiac Information and Image Management System (CIIMS). This system enables cardiologists to key in and approve Echo and Cath lab reports, which are distributed hospital-wide electronically. The system integrates the images with the report in a single system. With NHCS and CGH using the same system, cardiologists from both institutions can share patients’ images and reports easily.

Payment kiosks were introduced at all SingHealth Polyclinics last year. The kiosks provide an additional method for patients to pay, reducing wait times, patient turnaround time and staffi ng requirements in the cashier area.

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The backbone of quality healthcare is good education. At SingHealth, we back our healthcare professionals with a wide range of opportunities for continuous education and training. So they can perform at their peak to deliver quality care to our patients.

EDUCATION

PERSONTO PERSON

Ms Leaw Bee Leng (left) is a SGH Nurse Educator, a career that demands excellence in nursing and teaching, and a responsibility for all those she trains and the lives they’ll save. Ms Leaw collaborates closely with nurses, doctors and other health professionals to create curricula tailored to their needs.

Dr Reginald Liew (right) is a Consultant with the Department of Cardiology at the National Heart Centre Singapore. He is also an Associate Professor at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. For him, teaching is a passion. He believes strongly in mentoring young doctors, as he himself benefi tted from the guidance of mentors when he was starting out in his career.

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SINGHEALTH ACADEMYIn June 2009, SingHealth and the Singapore Management University launched the SMU-SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management & Leadership. Launched by the SingHealth Academy, the programme aims to nurture leaders. The fi rst intake in 2009 was made up of senior clinicians, nurses, allied health professionals and administrators from SingHealth who graduated in July 2010.

Between July and October 2009, SingHealth organised the national Excellent Service Awards (EXSA) training programme with SingHealth Academy spearheading the push to make EXSA training programmes more relevant to the healthcare sector. The team worked with various healthcare institutions to introduce enhancements to the EXSA training modules. In the process, the proposed training curriculum for the healthcare sector was adopted as a standard for all 10 participating industries in the EXSA programme. The revised curriculum includes interactive lessons with case studies, healthcare scenario-based games, as well as sharing by industry trainers. Altogether, close to 200 training classes were organised by SingHealth Academy for more than 3,700 EXSA nominees in the healthcare industry.

In addition to training, SingHealth Academy has an active publishing arm. The Academy launched several books for healthcare professionals and the general public in the last fi nancial year. The titles include Tapestry of Care: Voices of Medical Social Workers, Medical Relief Mission Handbook, Embracing Hope: Chronicles of Blood Stem Cell Transplants and The Baby Bear Book.

Tapestry of Care is a compilation of medical social workers’ real-life stories. The Medical Relief Mission Handbook contains useful information for healthcare professionals deployed on relief missions including practical primary and emergency care tips. Embracing Hope is a compilation of personal stories from patients, caregivers and healthcare providers involved in stem cell transplants. It is aimed at helping patients and caregivers understand the process of stem cells transplantation. The Baby Bear Book is a quick and practical educational guide for healthcare professionals who care for children, including paediatricians, clinicians, nurses and pharmacists. Each book was produced in close partnership with subject experts in SingHealth and their peers in the healthcare industry.

EDUCATION

Education is a key component of SingHealth’s mission. Through the SingHealth Academy, the SGH Postgraduate Medical Institute, SingHealth Alice Lee Institute of Advanced Nursing, and the SGH Postgraduate Allied Health Institute; SingHealth ensures that staff have access to continuing education and training to improve the way they deliver care, and get the education and training that they need to do their jobs better.

In January 2010, SingHealth signed an agreement with the Fujian Provincial Health Bureau to train its healthcare professionals in various aspects of primary healthcare. Under this collaboration, SingHealth Polyclinics will train 110 Fujian caregivers to become trainers, who will in turn train a total of 5,500 healthcare professionals across Fujian. The initiative is supported by a $660,000 grant from the Temasek Foundation, with SingHealth Academy playing the role of training and grant administrator.

Held over two years, the programme comprises four primary care clinical leadership programmes and a primary care nursing management programme. It covers topics such as healthcare management, clinical knowledge, nursing management, health promotion and medical pedagogy within the primary care setting.

SINGHEALTH RESIDENCY PROGAMA signifi cant milestone in the area of medical education was reached in October 2009 when SingHealth launched the Residency Program. Medical education in Singapore is traditionally modelled after the British system. While that system has served the healthcare sector well for many years, evolution is needed to meet the increasing healthcare demands. SingHealth incorporated the Residency Program into its graduate medical education system this year.

The US Residency Program features elements such as a structured training framework with standards advised by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International (ACGME-I), a dedicated core faculty with protected time for teaching, and continuous monitoring and formative assessment to evaluate residents’ skills. The evaluation differs from the current British system, which utilises a summative method where assessments accumulate in intermediate and fi nal exams.

The substantive education that residents go through would translate into competencies with the desired outcome of improved clinical competency, and ultimately, higher quality patient care.

SGH POSTGRADUATE MEDICAL INSTITUTEThe SGH Postgraduate Medical Institute (SGH-PGMI) is a major provider of postgraduate medical education. Under its Fellowship programme, SGH-PGMI offers foreign doctors short-term clinical training attachments at over 20 clinical departments in SGH. In FY 2009, 60 overseas fellows began their attachment with SGH-PGMI. The Fellowship programme provides opportunities for foreign doctors to learn specifi c clinical skills and gain exposure in the Singapore healthcare industry.

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In November 2009, SGH-PGMI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International SOS to set up a joint training programme. The Program in General and Emergency Medicine Care which targets International SOS medical personnel worldwide also involves the National University of Singapore and Duke University. It is a four-year programme, which comprises a two-week training programme of skills and simulation workshops and clinical attachment at SGH each academic year. The programme aims to be accredited by the Singapore Medical Council. Upon completion, participants will also be awarded the Duke University Education Certifi cate.

SGH-PGMI organised SGH’s 18th Annual Scientifi c Meeting last year. The meeting provided a platform for young clinicians, researchers, academics,nurses and allied health staff of institutions onSGH Campus to interact, share and showcasetheir work and research.

Last year, SGH-PGMI also organised 18 continuing medical education programmes (CMEs) for GPs, providing the latest medical updates and to establish a closer rapport with them. This is in-line with the emphasis on right-siting of care to allow for better healthcare resource management.

SINGHEALTH ALICE LEE INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED NURSINGThe SingHealth Alice Lee Institute of Nursing (IAN), dedicated to enhancing nursing skills and promoting lifelong learning among nurses, trained more than 8500 nurses locally and in the region, and provided more than 11,000 clinical attachments for nursing students at SingHealth institutions, in the last fi nancial year.

Keeping its curricula current to meet the needs of patients and the nursing profession, Alice Lee IAN also introduced several new courses which enhanced their clinical, and management skills so that they can provide better care for patients. One is the Asthma Management Training Programme, developed by a team of SingHealth nurses, which updates nurses on new approaches of managing patients with asthma to enable them to provide consistent, up-to-date and holistic care more effectively and effi ciently.

With the increased number of patients in the Intermediate Care Area (ICA), Alice Lee IANdeveloped the IAN Nursing Course in July 2009, to provide nurses with critical and technical skills needed for management of patients in this sector. Since then, 243 Registered Nurses have been trained and are confi dent in nursing ill patients in ICA.

The new course on health assessment provides nurses with essential practical skills and knowledge to perform health care assessments competently and safely in the clinical setting.

EDUCATION

Since May 2007, 106 Health Care Assistants and 154 Patient Care Assistants from SingHealth institutions have completed an upgraded advanced skills training programme. They acquired these clinical skills and knowledge to improve patient care quality and safety.

The IAN also organised an Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing Course for 30 participants from Singapore Cooperation Programme Training Award (SCPTA) and Small Island Developing States Technical Cooperation Programme (SIDSTEC). Hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the participants came from 21 countries around the world, including Afghanistan, Bulgaria, China, Fuji Island, Ghana, Jordan, Mauritius, Myanmar, Poland, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. The delegates were impressed with the health care system and high standard of care in SGH.

The Alice Lee IAN continues to partner the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to conduct various skills-based training courses for unemployed Singaporeans and Permanent Residents to embark on a career as healthcare support staff.

SGH POSTGRADUATE ALLIED HEALTH INSTITUTEThe SGH Postgraduate Allied Health Institute (PGAHI) collaborated with the Medical Education Unit of the National University of Singapore to conduct the fi rst faculty development programme specially contextualised for allied health. The aim is to develop a pool of allied health educators in SGH trained in medical pedagogy.

In March 2009, PGAHI took in the fi rst batch for the Infectious Diseases Residency Program. Developed by SGH pharmacists specialising in infectious diseases, it is the fi rst of its kind in Singapore. Residents can upgrade their infectious diseases (pharmacotherapy) skills as the Program taps on SGH’s clinical resources and experts. They can also enjoy in-depth experiential training through rotation in public hospitals.

In August 2009, PGAHI organised the fi rst multidisciplinary Geriatric Symposium, followed by a Sports Symposium in October, which attracted experts from various healthcare disciplines such as physiotherapy and sports therapy, who share their knowledge on the topics.

PGAHI also continues to run the Advanced Diploma in Physiotherapy. In May 2009, the third batch graduated from the course. The programme provides applicants a structured curriculum to upgrade their skills and provides the necessary bridging in theoretical grounding as well as clinical skills.

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Research for us starts and ends with our patients. We examinecases seen in clinical practice to drive our research efforts.Then we translate research fi ndings to develop solutions tohealthcare problems and enhance clinical care.

What Mdm Mary Lee (right) thought was just a minor case of blurred vision turned out to be glaucoma. At SNEC, Dr Tina Wong, Consultant, Glaucoma Service, prepared her surgery and suggested she join a new research study. The needling study by SNEC and the Singapore Eye Research Institute uses a drug and a special gel placed on the eye to minimise scarring after surgery. Thanks to the work of staff at SNEC and SERI. Mdm Lee’s surgery by Dr Wong was successful, and the needling study treatment helped restore her sight.

RESEARCH

STEP BY STEP

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RESEARCH

An important milestone was the centralisation of the Institutional Review Board in April 2009. The new board has fi ve sub-groups to review protocols covering 30 medical specialties. The aim of the IRB is to standardise and strengthen the Group’s research ethics and governance that will benefi t human subjects involved in research.

The new SingHealth Experimental Medicine Centre (SEMC) was set up in 2008. SEMC was awarded Continued Full Accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) in January 2010. The accreditation affi rms that SEMC is a facility of international standards, dedicated to achieving the highest standards of animal care and use in research. Included in the accreditation are the animal facilities on SGH Campus at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS).

In January 2009, the Tissue Bank at NCCS was merged with the SingHealth Tissue Repository (STR) to form a centralised facility and resource for donated tissues and blood serums in SingHealth. STR provides tissues to researchers, and aims to initiate original research in research resource management and tissue preservation techniques through collaboration with local and foreign researchers. STR has developed successful collection policies and has, to date, a collection of more than 77,000 vials of blood serum and buffy coats and more than 7,700 tissues.

In September 2009, the Centralised Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) was set up to improve the governance of biosafety issues in SingHealth.

To enable more research, SingHealth secured $40 million in funding to build the new SGH Pathology Building, which is expected to be ready in 2012. This will provide a central core for clinical science, education and research that will support SingHealth’s vision to pursue Academic Medicine.

The SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit (IMU), which focuses on early phase clinical trials, was offi cially opened in July 2010. Located at SGH, the IMU is a collaboration between SingHealth, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, and the National Research Foundation, through the National Medical Research Council. The unit has 30 beds in a 1,324 sq mspace and has facilities to conduct early phase clinical trials in novel drugs, devices, biologics and diagnostics, as well as research on biomarkers and disease mechanisms. The IMU aims to be a key player in Singapore and the region for early-phase clinical trials, providing a ready platform for sponsors and investigators to conduct clinical studies.

Research is pertinent in SingHealth’s pursuit of excellence in healthcare. During the year under review, a number of initiatives were put in place to strengthen and facilitate research within the cluster.

Besides building research infrastructure, SingHealth researchers made great strides in the local and international arena, winning several national awards and publishing their fi ndings in established highly regarded journals such as Nature, Lancet Oncology and Cancer Research.

Last year, SingHealth’s Centre for Health Services Research (CHSR) secured more than $500,000 in research and symposium sponsorship grants from funding agencies like the Biomedical Research Council, Duke-NUS, the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and SingHealth Foundation. Together with partners from CGH, Duke-NUS, NNI and SGH, analysts from CHSR were involved in 12 grant-funded projects as principal investigators, co-investigators and collaborators. These projects covered a wide spectrum of healthcare topics and include stroke outcomes, stroke care and quality of life of patients with chronic diseases. The projects require multi-disciplinary research techniques such as statistics, health economics and computer programming.

Three CHSR projects last year resulted in improvements to patient care. With the aid of simulation modelling, the workfl ow at SGH’s Department of Diagnostic Radiology was revised so that patients can have their x-rays taken faster. Simulation modelling was also used in the design of the appointment system for Bedok Polyclinic. In the third project, CHSR was involved in revising institutions’ patient daily feedback forms so that they were more useful.

On the publication front, CHSR published 10 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. Twenty-one oral and poster presentations were made in local and international conferences and 10 workshops and roundtable discussions were organised by CHSR. CHSR also undertook a major research project between February and November 2009 to understand the motivations and barriers to living kidney donation.

Since 2006, CHSR has played an active role in community outreach. In FY2009, seven interns completed their internship programmes in CHSR and the Centre continued to contribute as the main organiser, curriculum planner and teaching faculty of a Temasek Foundation-funded three-year training program on evidence-based healthcare management for hospital administrators in northern India.

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Our people stand tall as SingHealth doctors, nurses and allied healthprofessionals. They relate to patients as individuals, not cases.Our industry awards testify to their exceptional service and attitude.

OUR PEOPLE

ONE TO ONE

In the 1970s, premature babies had little hope. Prof Ho Lai Yun, Senior Consultant, Department of Neonatal & Developmental Medicine, SGH (left), helped turn that around by pioneering many programmes such as neonatal hearing screening and birth defects clinics, and establishing neonatology as a subspecialty in paediatrics in Singapore. Prof Ho lectures at both the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at NUS and the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, and has mentored many young clinicians, who have grown to be outstanding clinicians and established consultants. For his dedication, he was awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award 2010.

Ms Goh Chin Chin (right) believes passionately in her chosen career as a pharmacist. As the Clinic Pharmacy Manager at the SingHealth Polyclinic at Pasir Ris, she inspires her team to achieve high professional standards for better patient care. She’s active in research, submitting papers at national and regional events. Ms Gohalso shares her passion for her fi eld through public forum talks and by training junior pharmacy staff.

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In 2009, SingHealth introduced a new leadership development programme to provide a common training platform for leaders, and build organisational leadership, retain organisational talent and drive employee performance. The programme arms leaders with common leadership competencies, creates a network and a shared culture that promotes collaboration and improvement. In total, more than 600 leaders have been trained under this programme to date.

SingHealth rolled out the inaugural Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management & Leadership Programme, in partnership with the Singapore Management University. This programme provides clinicians and healthcare professionals with the essential leadership and business management skills.

SingHealth’s Group CEO Prof Tan Ser Kiat was conferred the Medal of Commendation (Gold) at the NTUC May Day dinner on 29 April 2010. Among numerous contributions, Prof Tan was recognised for his fi rm belief in lifelong learning and continuous development that spurred him to introduce many new initiatives to empower staff progress. He was also lauded for building a close partnership with the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union to maintain a vibrant, conducive environment that promotes the interest and welfare of staff.

In March 2010, SingHealth signed the 6th SingHealth Staff Agreement, renewing the collective agreement for another three years. This agreement demonstrates SingHealth’s commitment to staff retention, upgrading and enhancing the healthcare professions and the close partnership with the Union.

Under the agreement, salary ranges were enhanced, entry salaries were improved, the nursing profession was upgraded and shift allowances were increased for those on shift. In addition, ward allowances and medical and dental benefi ts were also improved.

The Health Manpower Development Plan awards, which gives healthcare professionals the opportunity to be attached to renowned international healthcare centres for further training and development in their chosen area of specialty, is given to 183 doctors, nurses and allied health professionals from SingHealth in 2009. This is the largest number of awards recipients to date and 13 team-based awards have been given out as SingHealth continues to strengthen its multidisciplinary teams across specialities and professions.

Providing excellent service is one of the cornerstones of SingHealth and in this regard, the Group has done well in the last fi nancial year. In 2009, close to 1,900 SingHealth staff received the Excellent Service Award (EXSA), its best showing ever. This award honours individuals in the service industry and showcases models for others to emulate.

Two nominees from SingHealth were the Superstar fi nalists in the healthcare category. They were Dr Jon Yoong Kah Choun, a Consultant at SGH and Senior Staff Nurse (SSN) Hartini Bte Osman, also from SGH. SSN Hartini was eventually named the EXSA SuperStar Award winner. In the course of her seven-year career, SSN Hartini has often gone out of her way to help her patients, earning their gratitude.

In addition, a SingHealth nurse was given the nation’s highest accolades for her excellent service and contribution to the profession and to the health and well-being of the community. Ms Lim Siok Hong,KKH’s Senior Nurse Clinician, was one of three winners for the President’s Award for Nurses in 2009. Ms Lim who leads the infection control unit at KKH has been at the forefront against SARS and H1N1. She is also an avid community volunteer participating in overseas mission trips where she guides doctors and nurses on infection control practices.

OUR PEOPLE

Excellent service can only be provided by happy and motivated staff. That is why hiring, training, and retaining staff is a top priority for SingHealth.

Prof Ng Han Seong, Chairman, Medical Board, SGH, was awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award 2009, marking two consecutive years that SingHealth clinicians have been recognised by the Ministry of Health for their excellence in the fi elds of clinical research and medicine. Prof Ng is a wise counsellor and dynamic teacher to his mentee clinicians, and a highly respected physician to his patients. Through the years, Prof Ng has nurtured and mentored numerous clinicians, many of whom have gone on to assume leadership positions in the medical fi eld. He is also widely recognised for his contributions in the area of gastroenterology and hepatology.

On the research front, Prof Donald Tan, Prof Roger Beuerman and Associate Prof Aung Ting from the Singapore Eye Research Institute, received the President’s Science Award 2000, which is the nation’s highest honours bestowed on exceptional scientists and engineers in Singapore. The trio spearheaded innovative breakthroughs in “bench-to-bedside” medical research in blinding corneal diseases, leading to major advancements in scientifi c knowledge and treatment of corneal blindness, placing Singapore at the forefront of corneal research.

To continue attracting talent, the cluster offers Nursing and Allied Health scholarships to promising ‘A’ level, Diploma and undergraduates. A total of 45 local and overseas scholarships were awarded. In addition, various SingHealth institutions also offered their own scholarships and sponsorships.

SingHealth served as the chair of the Joint Publicity Committee on Nursing and Allied Health Careers for the past two years till March 2010. The Committee – comprising representatives from the Ministry of Health, National Healthcare Group, National University Health Systems, Alexandra Health and Jurong Health Services, plans and executes publicity strategies to promote allied healthcare careers among school leavers and their infl uencers. During its term, SingHealth led in new initiatives such as news supplements in

TODAY, new media profi ling, a revamped health careers website, and an integrated communications campaign spanning television, radio, magazines, social media and a career fair at The Cathay, an venue frequented by the youth target group.

To boost the professional development and retention of clinical, specialist and research pharmacists, a cluster-wide Pharmacy Career Structure and Competency Framework was unveiled. The development and assessment of pharmacists will be based on the new competency framework. This will also lead to better healthcare outcomes for our patients, as services improve and as pharmacists engage in more research.

In January 2010, SingHealth conducted a cluster-wide Employee Survey to gather feedback from staff to help make SingHealth a better workplace. More than 80 per cent of all staff took part in the survey, which far exceeds the typical rate of 70 to 75 per cent for an organisation as big as SingHealth. Compared to global norms, SingHealth fared well. Most categories, such as career advancement, organisational image and employee engagement, had a positive edge over global benchmarks, and 18 categories were above Singapore national norms.

In March 2010, SingHealth began an effort to bring together all the human resource processes and systems together under a single HR system. With this system, it will standardise policies on compensation and benefi ts, performance reviews and career development. The system, based on SAP software and and implemented by IBM, is targetted for completion in June 2011.

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The professional skills of SingHealth doctors and nurses puts them in demand for humanitarian relief work globally. Ms Elaine Ng, Deputy Director of Nursing Admin at CGH (right) went on a mission to Philippines in 2006 with Mercy Relief’s medical team. Dr Simon Ong, Senior Consultant, Department of Medical Oncology at NCCS (left), served on the medical teams deployed in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis, and then in Yemen, following a fl ood in 2008.

As healthcare professionals we are duty-bound to care and to heal. In any and every way we can, SingHealth staff do their best to walk that talk. Because serving the community is not just part of a CSR programme, it’s in our DNA.

SHOULDERTO SHOULDER

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SINGHEALTH HUMANITARIAN RELIEF PROGRAMME In July 2009, the SingHealth Humanitarian Relief Programme (SHRP) was launched. This programme recruits, trains and prepares SingHealth healthcare teams to provide humanitarian relief following disasters in the region.

Since its launch, SHRP has worked with Mercy Relief on missions to the Philippines and Indonesia. Between August 27 and September 1, a SingHealth medical team was sent to the Philippines to help out in the aftermath of Typhoon Kiko. Between October 10 and 17, another medical team was sent to Padang following an earthquake.

As part of the programme, SingHealth Polyclinics produced a handbook, the Medical Mission Relief Handbook, to equip and prepare volunteers for disasters. This handbook was written by contributors from the polyclinics and published by SingHealth Academy.

In January 2010, SHRP launched a portal on the SingHealth intranet as a point of contact for all volunteers within the SingHealth family. The resource has information about impending missions, volunteer recruitment and training and allows volunteers to share their experiences.

SINGHEALTH FOUNDATIONThe SingHealth Foundaiton is a not-for-profi t grant making organisation which gives grants, raises and facilitates donations and manages fi nanancial contributions in support of medical research, medical and healthcare education, and healthcare services for Singaporeans and the community at large. For the year ending 31 March 2010, the Foundation received $41.5 million in donations and disbursed 341 grants.

Improving patient care is a major focus for the Foundation. For instance, the Singapore Cord Blood Bank, an internationally accredited public cord blood bank, has been receiving support from the Foundation since it opened in September 2005. The public cord blood bank is a life-saving resource for Singapore’s diverse ethnic population and Asians worldwide, providing patients with a better chance of fi nding a life-saving matched cord blood unit.

The Foundation also seeks to identify and support programmes that fi ll the gaps in the patients’ needs for quality care. One such programme that the Foundation supports is the National Heart Centre Singapore’s (NHCS), minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery programme. NHCS is the fi rst institution in the region to perform robotic cardiothoracic surgery. The Foundation also supports CGH’s vaccination programme for needy patients, where vaccinations against infl uenza and pneumonia are administered to elderly patients who are unable to afford them.

The Foundation funds education and training for healthcare staff. This is driven by the belief that investment in training is essential to building a team of talented and dedicated professionals who can meet the nation’s increasing healthcare demands. The Foundation co-funds the Health Manpower Development Plan with the Ministry of Health to enable staff to acquire new skills and knowledge from the best training centres overseas.

The Foundation also grants sponsorships and scholarships for administrative and healthcare professionals to build their executive, strategic and professional capabilities. In addition, the Foundation also supports projects such as the Paediatric Simulation Training Centre at KKH where

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

SingHealth takes its duties as a good corporate citizen seriously. As a Group, SingHealth provides humanitarian relief, fundraises for the needy, organises community health screening programmes and raises healthcare literacy by providing reliable healthcare information. SingHealth contributes to society and is enriched in turn.

staff use highly realistic simulation technologies to improve emergency decision-making abilities.Research is another key area that the Foundation supports. It provides funding grants such as the Start-up Research Grants that support new investigators with seed funding to generate initial data that will enable them to compete for national funding. In addition, the Foundation also funds the Investigator Excellence Awards. These awards recognise and reward research excellence by providing funds to further research.

PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGEThe individual institutions within SingHealth are also active in helping the needy. Last year, SingHealth as a Group raised $300,000 for the President’s Challenge following a four-month long fundraising project. To mark the tenth anniversary of the charity, SingHealth collected 10,000 candid pictures of smiles from patients, hospital visitors, benefi ciaries and staff. The best smiles were assembled into a photo collage, which was unveiled by President Nathan with the help of children from Mainly I Love Kids (MILK) and Beyond Social Services at an event held at the Istana on the 22 Dec 2009.

During the project, staff from SingHealth institutions such as SGH, SNEC and NDC also volunteered their time and effort to offer free health screenings and run a host of health-inspired activities for benefi ciaries. “Healthcare, I Care!”, now in its sixth successive year, represents SingHealth’s contribution to President’s Challenge initiative. Since 2004, SingHealth institutions have raised more than $1.6 million for the benefi ciaries of the initiative.

ENHANCING PUBLIC HEALTHCARE LITERACYPublic education and increasing health literacy is another important SingHealth initiative. To give Singaporeans access to comprehensive and reliable health information, SingHealth launched a health portal called HealthXchange (www.healthxchange.com.sg) in January 2010. HealthXchange provides a trusted channel for people to bring their queries and concerns to qualifi ed healthcare professionals.

The website has an interactive component that features a Question and Answer segment hosted by a panel of medical specialists from the SingHealth Group. Tailored to Asian needs, HealthXchange features components such as healthy recipes tailored to Asian tastes and preferences. HealthXchange also offers trusted and comprehensive information from local medical experts on diseases that are more prevalent in Asia such as colorectal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and heart disease.

In addition, HealthXchange provides an interactive online platform for established support groups set up by SingHealth institutions. Via the portal, patients, care givers and their family members can connect and exchange local information on health conditions and caregiving suggestions with others who have similar conditions. The website also aggregates various health news and announcements from various global sources, offering a one-stop platform for up-to-date medical news.

Launched in November 2009, Singapore Health covers topics on health and wellness, the latest medical breakthroughs, healthcare services and tips on navigating hospital processes. The bi-monthly newspaper published by SGH and SingHealth, was recently awarded The Magnum Opus Awards – Best Editorial Award for New Publications (Gold) under the 2010 Print Newsletters category. This international award selects the best custom or corporate publications from around the world and Singapore Health was recognised with the top honours for providing “page after page of great editorial content readers just can’t put down.”

In April 2010, SingHealth organised the Signature Women’s Forum at the Sheraton Hotel. In its sixth year, the Forum entitled, “Fabulous from 40!”, showcased SingHealth’s expertise in treating conditions such as thyroid disorders, urinary tract infection and incontinence, colorectal cancer and corneal inlay services.

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SINGHEALTH INSTITUTIONS

ARM IN ARM

Ms Soon Lay Khim, Senior Manager, Corporate Human Resource, SingHealth (right), oversees compensation and benefi ts for the SingHealth Group and was instrumental in negotiating the new collective agreement with the union to enhance employment benefi ts for healthcare professionals, such as Ms Ang You Ling, Senior Medical Technologist (Cardiac), NHCS (left). With a collective agreement that is fair and equitable, SingHealth has been able to retain and reward its staff, and attract new talent. Ms Ang performs echocardiography scans and checks implanted devices such as pacemakers. She plays a critical role by assisting cardiologists in recording and monitoring patients during stress tests and invasive cardiac procedures.

There is strength in numbers. And there is synergy. Our Group of nine SingHealth institutions and the Corporate Offi ce share knowledge, resources, and best practices and our patients are the ultimate benefi ciaries. They are and always will be at the heart of all we do.

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SINGAPORE GENERAL HOSPITAL

Mdm Rahmah Bte Anes won the SGH Inspirational Patient Award last year for her positive attitude and ability to motivate others. In 2005, Mdm Rahmah was diagnosed with Stage-III breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She joined the hospital’s breast cancer support group, where she received the encouragement and strength she needed to pull through. Today, she is an active volunteer in the support group and has even helped to start a support group for Malay women. With her is Professor Ang Chong Lye, Chief Executive Offi cer, SGH.


We made history by being the fi rst hospital in Asia to achieve the Magnet® designation for nursing excellence. Amidst higher patient load and rising patient expectations, SGH scored more than 9% improvement in the MOH Patient Satisfaction Survey. We also performed well in the 2009 Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore survey conducted by the Institute of Service Excellence at Singapore Management University. SGH came up top among the Restructured Hospitals, and led the way in customer expectations, perceived quality of service and loyalty among satisfi ed customers.

Our staff are happy and well-engaged. The commitment, resilience and strong teamwork characteristic of SGH staff came through strongly when our healthcare workers rallied and took control of the H1N1 situation, putting in place measures that minimised the risk for patients, staff and the wider community.

In partnership with the national specialty centres on SGH Campus, we reaffi rmed our regional position in transplant medicine. Three landmark transplant surgeries, including Asia’s fi rst combined heart and liver transplant, were performed. We are making progress in our pursuit of Academic Medicine, investing in research, preparing for the Residency Program, and collaborating closely with Duke-NUS.

We will continue to provide our patients with the “Best Outcome, Best Experience”,and stay true to our commitment to put “Patients. At the Heart of All We Do.” Continued teamwork and consistency in purpose will bring SGH closer to our vision of being thehub for academic medicine.”

Professor Ang Chong Lye

Chief Executive Offi cer, Singapore General Hospital

“

PATIENT CARESingapore General Hospital (SGH) is developing into a major transplant hub, achieving a number of fi rsts. In April 2009, transplant teams from SGH and the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) performed Asia’s fi rst combined heart and liver transplant. The operation was carried out by a multi-disciplinary team from the SGH Liver Transplant Service and NHCS Heart/Lung Transplant Unit.

The patient was Mr Lau Chin Kwee, 57, who was diagnosed with Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy (FAP), a rare genetic condition in which the liver produces abnormal proteins that affect nerves and major organs like the liver and heart.

The operation took 13 hours and involved twosurgical teams comprising 10 surgeons and40 other healthcare staff.

Surgeons at SGH were also the fi rst in Singapore to perform a dual-kidney transplant using kidneys from a deceased donor who was over 60 years of age.

In March 2010, Mdm Susan Ong, 54, received two kidneys from a 62-year-old deceased donor. The surgery was more complex than usual as there were technical issues related to placing two kidneys on one side. It lasted about two hours longer than a single kidney transplant and two senior surgeons were needed to perform the surgery. The surgeons had to work fast as older kidneys do not tolerate long storage time before surgery.

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SGH also performed a transplant with a kidney from Singapore’s oldest living kidney donor. In July 2009, 75-year-old Mdm Chee Leng Yin donated one of her kidneys to her 46-year-old daughter, Shirley Lau.Ms Lau was diagnosed with a kidney condition called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) when she was a child. By 2003, her illness had progressed to end-stage kidney failure. Her life changed when her mother was found to be a suitable donor.

Cutting-edge equipment played an important role in assisting surgeons. In April 2010, SGH acquired the latest-generation da Vinci® Si dual console surgical robot. The new system provided surgeons with more precision and dexterity over existing approaches, improving patient treatment and recovery. SGH is the second hospital in the region to have the da Vinci® Si Robotics System.

The dual console robotics system allows two surgeons to simultaneously collaborate during surgery – meaning two sets of eyes, hands and skills are involved in the surgery. It also means that surgeons from different specialties can work together concurrently on the same patient.

In April 2010, SGH became the fi rst hospital in Asia to receive the Magnet® Recognition, a prestigious award issued by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to recognise hospitals for nursing excellence and leadership.

SGH is in the midst of integrating radiology management to improve administrative and clinical workfl ow. When completed, SGH’s Radiology Imaging System – Picture Archiving and Communications Systems – which incorporates voice recognition and electronic orders capability will be consolidated and standardised, and integrated into SingHealth’s cluster-wide Electronic Medical Records infrastructure and teleradiology system.

This integration is part of a 10-year agreement between Microsoft and SingHealth to improve patient care through healthcare technology innovation in Singapore. The integration will be implemented at SGH fi rst, followed by other hospitals within SingHealth.

In March 2010, SGH began rolling out Nurse Charting, which has since been introduced in all wards. Nurse Charting enables patients’ medical charts to be documented electronically, providing up-to-date information that is easily accessible anytime from anywhere in the hospital. Electronic charting of patients’ clinical charts improves accuracy and provides nurses with more time for patients.

SGH’s Bed Management System won the Microsoft Health Users Group (HUG) 2010 Innovation Awards for “Best Use of Clinical Records – Inpatient” in March 2010. The Microsoft HUG 2010 Innovation Awards honours organisations that successfully uses Microsoft technology to enhance and transform the quality of patient care, reduce costs, improve productivity, streamline clinical and business processes, and enable informed decisions.

The system provides real-time information on the availability of hospital beds, enhancing decision-making and placing the “right patient on the right bed”. It also enables more effi cient activation and tracking of support services like housekeeping to ensure fast bed turnaround by using technology such as Radio Frequency Identifi cation.

Mdm Pong Chan Fong is the second person in Singapore to receive a dual kidney transplant. On 11 February 2010, Mdm Pong, 38, received a call from Dr Terence Kee, SGH’s Director of Renal Transplantation, who told her that her prayers had been answered – two suitable kidneys had been found for her. The next morning, she was wheeled into the operating theatre. A week later, she was up and about. Mdm Pong is now relishing her second lease of life, thanks to Dr Kee and his team.

44 45 /


EDUCATIONSGH and the national specialty centres on the SGH Campus continue to contribute strongly to the teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. More than 400 doctors have been appointed to the NUS Clinical Faculty Scheme for the academic year 2009-10 starting in June.

SGH also provides education for allied health professionals. Last year, the SGH-Postgraduate Allied Health Institute (SGH-PGAHI) organised the fi rst Geriatric Symposium and Sports Symposium.

In May 2009, 18 students graduated from the third intake of the Advanced Diploma in Physiotherapy. SGH-PGAHI took in the fi rst cohort for the Pharmacy residency programme and saw the graduation of the second cohort of the Occupational Therapy degree conversion.

In addition, SGH-PGAHI conducted the fi rst faculty training with the NUS Medical Education unit for 30 allied health professionals.

RESEARCHIn December 2009, SGH began a pioneering study to better understand the pattern of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infections among local women and determine whether an HPV vaccination programme would be cost-effective in Singapore. At present, very little is known about the number or types of HPV infections in this region. HPV is a common virus implicated in the development of cervical cancer, the sixth most common cancer among women here, claiming 200 lives every year.

The Obesity and Metabolic Unit at SGH has begun a study to develop the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) predictive equations for the local population. The RMR is used to tailor a diet that balances a person’s energy intake and expenditure, which results in better weight management.

Associate Professor Pierce Chow from the Department of General Surgery was awarded the Clinician Scientist Awards 2010 for conducting a multicentre clinical trial to compare the outcomes of two known therapies for primary liver cancer. The clinical data from the study will be used to determine which treatment would benefi t primary liver cancer patients more.

Another Clinical Scientist Award recipient, Dr Charles Chuah from the Department of Haematology, will be looking into ways of eliminating leukemia stem cells. Notoriously diffi cult to eradicate as they are resistant to drug therapy, leukemia stem cells can lead to disease recurrence. The study will examine if using combination drug treatments will eliminate such cells.

OUR PEOPLEIn July 2009, SGH began recruiting applicants who have been retrenched or are considering mid-career change under the Health Manpower Development Plan (HMDP) to meet with the increasing demand for healthcare workers. Ms Siti Zawiyah was one of those who decided to switch to nursing after fi ve years in the media industry. She underwent the Professional Conversion Programme in Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and her studies were sponsored by SGH. She earned her Diploma in Nursing from NYP in May 2009 and received an MOH Gold Award for excellent results.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTIn November 2009, SGH and the SingHealth Group launched the inaugural issue of Singapore Health – a newspaper reporting on health-related matters affecting Singaporeans.

Forty thousand copies of Singapore Health are available at the three hospitals, fi ve national speciality centres and selected polyclinics under the SingHealth umbrella. Copies are also handed out at high-traffi c points within the central business district area.

With the belief that providing humanitarian relief is an important aspect of corporate social responsibility, we strive to make a tangible difference in the lives of the community at large – even those living beyond our borders.

Over the years, our medical and allied health professionals have been involved in overseas humanitarian and medical relief efforts to help communities devastated by natural disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Cyclone Nargis in 2008. In April 2010, SGH participated in a surgical mission to Yunnan, China to provide healthcare to the poor and underprivileged, particularly those requiring urgent medical treatment.

SGH has performed more than 1,000 Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants since the fi rst transplant in 1985. To commemorate this milestone, Dr William Hwang from the Department of Haematology initiated a book project titled “Embracing Hope: Chronicles of Blood Stem Cell Transplants”. The book features fi rst-hand accounts of patients, caregivers and healthcare providers. These stories of courage, compassion and hope offer inspiration to those who fi nd themselves in similar circumstances. Proceeds of the book help patients in fi nancial need undergoing stem cell transplants and fund transplant-related education and research programmes.

During the H1N1 outbreak last year, SGH adopted guidelines to ensure that medical care and services to all our patients were not compromised. We tightened our preventive and response measures to protect our patients, staff and visitors. Masks or personal protective equipment were used, temperature screening counters were set up, contact tracing processes were introduced, restrictions were made on visitor policy and hand hygiene awareness and infection control measures were enhanced.

KEY FIGURES FY 09 FY 08

SizeBed Complement (as at end Mar) 1,521 1,529Beds in Service 1,474 1,459

Workload per annumBed Occupancy Rate 80.1% 82.8%Inpatient Admissions 70,552 70,056Inpatient Discharges 70,706 70,304Total Patient Days 430,978 441,048Average Length of Stay (days) 6.1 6.3Total Surgical Operations 79,186 78,275 Day Surgeries 45,132 42,761 Inpatient Surgeries 34,054 35,514Specialist Outpatient Clinic Attendances 680,740 680,414Accident & Emergency Attendances 142,236 136,617

Staffi ng (as at end Mar)Total 7,204 6,567 Doctors 816 781 Nurses 3,267 2,856 Allied Health Professionals 1,084 928 Others 2,037 2,002

Note: Staffi ng fi gures refer to Filled Posts, in terms of Full-Time Equivalent, and may not add up to total due to rounding.

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AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Patient CareExcellent Service Awards 20091063 staff – 158 Star, 315 Gold, 590 SilverHartini Bte Osman (Superstar Winner)Dr Jon Yoong Kah Choun (Superstar Finalist)

May Day Model Partnership Awards Fema Maestral Lepalim, Manisah Binte Ahmad

National Day Awards 2009(Public Administration – Silver)Prof Fong Kok Yong

National Day Awards 2009(Public Administration – Bronze)Koh Bee Hua

National Day Awards 2009 (Public Service Star)Dr Ling Moi Lin

National Day Awards 2009 (Effi ciency)Boh Tuan Boey, Tan Ai Muay, Punasundri d/o Thangaraju, Mahmood Bin Idrose, Lua Seok Bian,Lee Sock Lin, Kamsiah Bte Jaafar, Goh Meh Meh,Chua Kim Soon Joseph

National Day Awards 2009 (Long Service)Ong Joo Hai, Ong Ai Koon, Nah Siak Chuang, Muniamah d/o Munisamy, Mohtar Bin Ahmad, Mohamed Hasshim Bin A Rahman, Low Kau Kee Robert, Loh Yit Lan Susan, Lim Li Hua, Dr Lim Heok Seng, Lee Soi Moi, Law Mew Lin, Lau Chor Boon Pauline, Krishna Veni d/o Spurayah V, Koh Sim Moy, Kang Ai Keow, Kaliamah w/o Tirunavukarasu, Jakjee Kaur, Prof Ho Lai Yun, Ho Ai Lian, Habibur RahmanBin Abdullah, Goh Luan Keng, Gan Siew Gek Christine,Foo Sie Keng, Foo Gey Chin, Esah Binte Abdul Kadir,Er Kow Tee, Chng Poh Choo, Cheong Miew Heng,Boey Bee Chun, Balkis Binte Ismail, Ang Siew Eng, Ahmad Bin Parjan, Absah Bte Wasikan, Abdul Karim Bin Sitri, Yeo Sai Keow Monica, Yeo Lay Lee, Wong Yew Hong, Wong Mun Lee, Wong Ming Choo Elizabeth,Wee Swee Cheng, Tay Siew Kiang, Sundarajoo Logambol, Sumiti Binte Salleh, Silvarajan s/o Sesasalam, See Keow Ann, Scott Maggie, Rohani Bte Mohd Sadd, Rasamah d/o Palani, Ramasamy Visuvanathan Nee Janaki d/o P G, Quek Hwee Koon Susan, Quek Chin Soon, Quek Aik Huan, Phua Yong Seng

Healthcare Humanity Awards 2010 Toh Hui Xian, Mariana Bte Osman, Wee Choo Neo, Lew Lian Choo, Tay Yih Yann, Ong Siew Hoon Winnie, Loy Kia Lan, Lim Ngiuk Yoong Grace, Kee Mong Ling, Mina Nagapan

GCEO Excellence AwardPROFESSIONAL CATEGORY – NURSINGChristina Lim Poh Ying

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY – ALLIED HEALTHDr Camilla Wong Ming Lee

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY – ADMINISTRATIONDr Celia Tan la Choo

OPEN CATEGORY – EDUCATIONNidu Maran Shanmugam s/o Bala Krishnan

OPEN CATEGORY – CLINICAL RESEARCHDr Andrea Kwa Lay Hoon

Ministry of Health Nurses’ Merit Award 2009Maslina Bte Masudi, Lim Ah Buay, Cheong Miew Heng, Yeo Swee Cheng, Cecilia Leong, Koh Lay Chun,Ong Ai Koon, Koh Yee Mui, Marhaini Bte Mohd Zain,Oo Cheng Sim

PS21 Distinguished Star Service Award 2010 Tan Chor Kien

Asian Hospital Management Awards 2009 Division/Department: Human Resource, Work-LifeAward/Category: Excellence Award runner-up,Internal Customer Service ProjectProject Title: e-Work-Life@SGH

Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand (Hospital Category) Platinum Award: SGH Year 2010Gold Award: SGH Years 2009, 2008, 2007

CEO Best Clinical Nurse Winner: Ong Su Ting Amy1st runner up: Kok Pei Lai2nd runner up: Fazila Abu Bakar Aloweni

EducationNational Outstanding Clinician Mentor AwardProf Ho Lai Yun

SingHealth-Lee Foundation Nursing AwardHwang Chung Cheng, Xu Yi, Norhayati Binte Ahmad, Sharonjit Kaur d/o D Singh

SingHealth – Alice Lee Institute of AdvancedNursing ScholarshipSiti Zawiyah Bte Mohammad, Loke Xinyi, Chan Joon Kai, Tan Wan Yi, Chong Kim Fong, Nur Maizura Bte Abdul Rahim, Kang Hui Gek, Kirk Hui Ping Angela,Wee Hei Le Gillian, Too Ai Ling Irene, Lim Su-Fee

ResearchNMRC Clinician Scientist Award A/Prof Pierce Chow Kah Hoe, Dr Charles Chuah

Human Resource/Talent DevelopmentHRM AwardsSGH wins HRM Award 2010– Performance Management Award

48 49 /

KK WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

Ms Susan Ginsberg (left), 53, a gynaecological cancer patient at KKH, is part of a befriender group that helps to comfort patients. She sees patients once or twice a week and shares her story to encourage and motivate them. Susan also takes pride in teaching patients how to improve their image to boost their self-esteem. With her is Prof Ivy Ng, the Chief Executive Offi cer of KKH.

PATIENT CAREAs Singapore’s premier hospital for women and children, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) has made patient-centric care our focus. These efforts have resulted in KKH achieving a high score of 79 per cent in 2009’s Patient Satisfaction Survey.

When H1N1 Infl uenza A threatened with its pandemic proportions last year, KKH was at the forefront of the battle against the virus, being designated as the national centre for obstetric and paediatric patients – the two groups at highest risk – infected by H1N1. KKH’s infection control experiences culled from the Avian Infl uenza outbreak came into play as emergency measures were taken to prepare for a surge in infections. Putting care for patients and families fi rst, four normal wards were quickly converted into isolation wards capable of single or multiple isolations, effectively enabling KKH to allow parents to be close to their infected children. For the additional comfort of patients and families, the wards were all equipped with televisions and had Internet access. Special efforts were also taken to keep children who had to be quarantined, occupied with toys and books.

Concurrently, measures were put in place to enable care for patients in the event of a sudden infl ux of cases. KKH’s Children’s Intensive Care Unit was on notice to be quickly reconfi gured to allow up to28 beds from the usual 16.

Always with the goal of enhancing patient care,KKH’s specialist surgeons continued to contribute to KKH’s legacy as a leader in advanced medical procedures. In 2009, surgeons at KKH were the fi rst in the world to remove cornual and tubal ectopic pregnancies and perform a hysterectomy through single port laparoscopy.

Cornual ectopic pregnancies occur at the side of the uterus adjacent to the fallopian tube, and tubal ectopic pregnancies take place within the fallopian tube. Both conditions are conventionally treated via multiport laparoscopic surgery, where three or four incisions are made. However, surgeons at KKH have developed the expertise to perform these complex surgical procedures via a single incision. The benefi ts to patients are inestimable with less scarring and signifi cant reduction in pain and recovery time.

2009 was a year of defi ning moments for KKH. Our focus on patient-centric care became apparent to our patients in the ways we delivered our unique brand of healing to them. Patients were happy and this was refl ected in our high score of 79 per cent in the Patient Satisfaction Survey. We aim to better our score this year.

Our mettle was tested to the fullest when H1N1 hit Singapore and reached pandemic levels. Our commitment to our patients never wavered. KKH stood at the forefront of the battle against the virus and devoted our care to those at highest risk, children and pregnant women.

This section of the Annual Report on KKH will describe in detail KKH’s continuing work in delivering excellent, holistic and compassionate care for women and children. It only leaves for me to thank the management and staff of KKH for defi ning and being the face of care that puts patients at the heart of all we do.”

Professor Ivy Ng

Chief Executive Offi cer, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

“

50 51 /

KKH’s Deputy Chairman of the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Head of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Unit, A/Prof Bernard Chern, led the team that carried out the fi rst single port laparoscopy for cornual ectopic pregnancy; while Dr Anthony Siow, the Director of KKH’s Minimally Invasive Surgery Unit performed the fi rst hysterectomy using this method.

Recording another fi rst for KKH and for Singapore, Dr Low Yee removed choledochal cysts in children through laparoscopic surgery. Dr Chia Yin Nin and Dr Timothy Lim, performed a laparoscopic radical hysterectomy, becoming the fi rst in Singapore to successfully execute the procedure. Radical hysterectomy is a procedure typically done totreat early cervical cancer, the procedure involves removing the uterus, cervix, the supportingligaments and the upper vagina, together with the pelvic lymph nodes. The laparoscopic procedureis preferable to open surgery as the incisions are smaller. There is consequently also less pain, lessloss of blood and faster recovery.

Closed Loop Medication Management (CLMM) system was implemented at KKH from July 2009. The system enables doctors to electronically prescribe medication as well as view all inpatient medication data and history at the bedside for improved medication management. The Inpatient Pharmacy Automation System (IPAS) and Knowledge Based Medication Administration (KBMA) also kicked off in 2009. CLMM, IPAS and KBMA collectively aim to enhance patient medication safety. They will also improve KKH’s operational effi ciency through integrated computerisation, streamlined workfl ow, barcode technology and the deployment of unit dose automated dispensing for inpatients.

“No evidence of cancer”. This simple message sentvia SMS relieved the anxiety of many of the 49,000 women who took mammograms and pap smearsat KKH during the year to detect breast and cervical cancer. The notifi cation was sent within four working days, compared to the previous seven to 10 daysto receive the test results.

To raise the level of care for patients, a new and dedicated Cardiac Centre was opened in February 2009. The following month, the Children’s Medical Clinic @ 2 was opened. Specialties seen at this clinic include Endocrinology, Neurology and EEG services, Rheumatology, Weight Management, as well as Adolescent Medicine and Sports Medicine.

KKH’s online appointment system, e-Appointment,was launched in April 2009 to provide greater convenience to SingHealth patients by allowingthem to change or cancel their appointments viathe KKH website using SingPass.

Adding to other ‘fi rsts’ in 2009, KKH became the fi rst in Asia to be accredited as a SpineCor Physiotherapy Centre – ‘SpineCor’ is a dynamic corrective brace for idiopathic scoliosis. KKH’s Paediatric Sleep Service was also the fi rst in Asia to achieve accreditation by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.

EDUCATIONKKH has a long tradition as a teaching hospital. With advances in clinical and technological sciences, KKH continues to be a centre of learning and pupilage.

In March 2010, KKH added two new state-of-the-art simulators to its Simulation Centre. The neonatal simulator and birthing simulator allow doctors and nurses to practice their clinical skills through theuse of highly sophisticated and realistic mannequins.Such advanced simulators provide healthcare practitioners with the opportunity to learn andhone skills in high risk but low occurrence areasof acute medicine, critical care, labour and delivery, anaesthesia and emergency medicine.

To extend the use of the new facilities and resources, the hospital started new courses such as the Combined Obstetric Resuscitation Emergencies training.


Baby Bravienne and her twin brother Braven were born weighing less than 750g each. Their mother, Ms Ng, started motherhood dramatically, with early onset of labour at just 24 weeks. Thankfully, KKH provided the specialised care and multidisciplinary clinical expertise needed for such a complex delivery and care of premature babies. Carrying Bravienne is Nurse Clinician Lo Bo Chu of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, who was part of the multidisciplinary team that cared for Bravienne and her brother.

52 53 /

Again, utilising technology to facilitate public education and learning, this time through the widespread availability of broadband internet connections, doctors from KKH initiated and planned a year-long series of web-seminars or webinars on pregnancy. In this world’s fi rst dedicated Pregnancy Webinar Series, KKH doctors were the main group among a network of doctors from Asia and Australia who conducted the weekly educational webinars which encompassed a 25-minute lecture followed by 25 minutes of questions and answers.

In October 2009, KKH took up the challenge to equip elderly women with new, medically accepted practices and evidence-based skills, through the Confi nement Nanny Training Programme. In collaboration with the Women’s Initiative for Ageing Successfully (WINGS), the fi ve-day course trained aspiring confi nement nannies to understand newborns, teaching them the fi ner points of bathing fragile infants, umbilical stump care, nappy changing, sterilisation of milk bottles and the art of helping new mothers give the best to their child and bond with their baby through breastfeeding.

RESEARCHWith education comes the passion for research and the unceasing quest for knowledge as well as the innovative application of technology.

KKH’s focus on women and children places the hospital in a unique position to conduct research using data from these patient groups in an Asian context. Using KKH’s 10-year database of patients with cervical, uterine and ovarian cancers, the study found that the increased use of adjuvant radiation post-surgery in cases of uterine cancer boosted the fi ve-year survival rates of patients with Stage 2 cancer to the level of patients with Stage 1 cancer, without greater risk of complications. The survival rates were, in fact, six to 10 per cent higher than international standards. Researchers at KKH are formulating new guidelines for the treatment and clinical management of Asian women suffering from these diseases to save more lives.

In a separate study by KKH Gynaecological Cancer Centre, researchers found that uterine cancer – the fourth most common gynaecological cancer and thought to occur mostly in women over the age of 50 or in post-menopausal women – actually occurred in more women below the age of 50 than at other centres in the world. The KKH study showed that33.9 per cent of patients with uterine cancer were below the age of 50. At other international centres, the incidence is between fi ve and 15 per cent.

In collaboration with the PAP Community Foundation, Lien Foundation, and the National Institute of Education, KKH is working on a research study to develop new practices and policies aimed at supporting children with developmental and learning needs within a normal, pre-school setting. Under the umbrella of “Mission I’mPossible”, the study is scheduled to be completed by December 2011.

KKH doctors utilise technology to innovate. RFID or Radio Frequency Identifi cation technology, the same technology that powers global trade and inventory tracking and Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing system, was introduced into KKH’s operating theatre to track surgical instruments and swabs and ensure that all are accounted for before, during and after surgery. Previously, a nurse would manually count each item before and after surgery, but with the creative use of new technology all tagged items can now be instantaneously monitored and located.

OUR PEOPLEKKH believes that our people are our most critical and precious asset. The hospital’s management is committed to providing broad opportunities for talent to grow and excel.

In November 2009, in recognition of his efforts to promote continuous improvements in KKH, A/Prof Tan Kok Hian, the Chairman of the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, was presented the Outstanding Activist Award at the PS21 ExCEL Awards 2009.


A/Prof Tan led the Integrated Perinatal Care Project which again put KKH on the world clinical map by achieving one of the lowest maternal mortality and eclampsia rates for a tertiary hospital anywhere in the world. For this outstanding contribution to health development, KKH Perinatal Team was awarded the World Health Organisation United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize 2009. A/Prof Tan was also involved in the Labour Ward Risk Management Programme to institute risk management initiativesin the labour ward that improved the safety and quality of birth delivery.

Under his leadership of the Clinical Practice Improvement Program/Process Improvement Project Committee, the number of successfully completed projects increased from fi ve in 2005 to more than 20 in 2008. This has translated into better, more effective processes and millions of dollars in cost savings.

Dr Arif Tyebally from the Department of Emergency Medicine was presented the JCI The Outstanding Young Persons Singapore Award 2009 – Contribution to Children, World Peace, and/or Human Rights. A strong advocate for child safety and safety education, Dr Tyebally was also part of Singapore’s medical team to Pakistan after the Muzaffarabad Earthquake and Team leader for Singapore’s Cyclone Nargis disaster relief mission.

Ms Lim Siok Hong, a Senior Nurse Clinician in charge of infection control at KKH received the President’s Award for Nurses 2009 from President S.R. Nathan at the Nurses Day Istana Reception in July 2009.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTKKH is a hospital with a heart of compassion for the less fortunate. Since 2002, the KK Hospital Health Endowment Fund (KKHHEF) has been helping needy patients with their hospital bills.

In 2009, KKHHEF lent support to the Molly Lee Appeal which ran its fi rst fundraiser in July 2009. It raised $66,042 with the aim to help needy women with cancer and gynaecological illnesses. The Appealwas set up in memory of Molly Lee, who died from ovarian cancer in 2008.

KKH, together with the Osteoporosis Society (Singapore) and the Health Promotion Board, came together to mark World Osteoporosis Day. A public forum on osteoporosis was held at KKH which was attended by over 400 senior citizens. KKH also partnered with grassroots and social organisations to raise awareness of osteoporosis and conduct screenings.

To help underprivileged cleft and craniofacial patients, KKH collaborated with Operation Smile Singapore to bring medical expertise to the region through several mission trips and to launch a programme for Singapore patients to receive additional fi nancial help where necessary.


SizeBed Complement (as at end Mar) 827 827Beds in Service 765 725

Workload per annumBed Occupancy Rate 69.9% 72.6%Inpatient Admissions 63,377 62,871Inpatient Discharges 63,363 62,839Total Patient Days 195,180 192,041Average Length of Stay (days) 3.1 3.1Total Surgical Operations 34,866 34,460 Day Surgeries 16,041 15,378 Inpatient Surgeries 18,825 19,082Specialist Outpatient Clinic Attendances 498,542 495,797Accident & Emergency Attendances 150,107 135,616

Staffi ng (as at end Mar)Total 3,605 3,386 Doctors 447 401 Nurses 1,561 1,505 Allied Health Professionals 507 444 Others 1,091 1 1,036


1 includes 3.51 dentists

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AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Patient CareExcellent Service Awards 2009 320 staff – 33 Star, 91 Gold, 196 Silver

World Health Organisation (WHO) United Arab Emirates (UAE) Health Foundation Prize 2009Awarded to KKH Perinatal Team for the Integrated Perinatal Care Project, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, awarded for excellent and outstanding contribution to the care of women during childbirth and their newborns

BCA Universal Design Award For The Built Environment 2009Bronze Award (Refurbished Building Category)

National Safety and Security Award 2009 For Both Individual and Cluster Category

Allied Health Innovative Practice Award Awarded for the SMS service for patients with normal results from mammography & pap smear screening – Charles Chan Ban Kee, Lim Geok Hoon, Ang Mui Ee, Tay Hon Hon, Loke Chui Yee, Dr Irene Lim, Heng Li Cher, Karen Chee Liang Kim, Tommy Ng Hock Leong

Healthcare Humanity AwardsQuay Siew Ching Irene, Jamaliah Bte Hashim, Arenawaty Bte Mohd Shah

GCEO Excellence Awards 2009 (Ancillary Category)Tan Mui Li

May Day Awards 2009 (Medal of Commendation)Prof Ivy Ng

6th National Clinical Quality Improvement Poster Competition 2009First Runner-Up: Dr Joseph Manuel Gomez

Junior Chamber International, Singapore– The Outstanding Young Persons Of Singapore Award– Merit, for Contribution to Children, World Peaceand/or Human RightsDr Arif Tyebally

MOH Nurses’ Merit Award 2009Rosnah Bte Ismail, Cham Mooi Tai, Poh Li Yoong,Lim Sok Lian, Yeo Chye Hoong, Tan Poh Geok

National Day Awards 2009 (Commendation) Catherine Chua, Yeddanapalli Irudayum

National Day Awards 2009 (Effi ciency)Manogary d/o Thangavelu, Nadeson Vannaja,Florence Wong Pek Yin

President’s Award for Nurses 2009Lim Siok Hong

PS21 ExCEL Awards – Outstanding Activist of the YearA/Prof Tan Kok Hian

SHS-Lee Foundation Award – Excellence in Nursing– Nursing LeaderLee Kim Nai

Human Resource/Talent DevelopmentLeading HR Practices AwardFor Health & Employee Wellness

Leading HR Practices AwardFor Quality Work-life

Leading HR Practices AwardFor Workplace Safety & Health

HR Advocate AwardFor Quality Work-Life

HR Advocate AwardFor Health & Employee Wellness

6th SingHealth Inter-Institutional Nursing DebateAwarded the Championship

6th SingHealth Inter-Institutional Nursing Debate– Best Speaker AwardLoh Hui Wen Germaine

6th SingHealth Inter-Institutional Nursing Debate– 1st Runner Up Best Speaker Award Ananthan Rumya

Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) Learning & Recognition AwardChin Wai Yong, Lee Bik Yik

SHS-Alice Lee IAN Scholarship (Degree Category)Angela Kirk Hui Ping

EducationDuke-NUS Graduate Medical School Outstanding Leadership AwardsA/Prof John Tee Chee Seng, A/Prof Tan Thiam Chye

Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Outstanding Educator AwardsAdj Asst Prof Chia Yin Nin, Dr Lim May Li

KKPD – Outstanding Clinical TeacherDr Batilando Melissa Jeanne Padua, Prof Chay Oh Moh

KKPD – Outstanding PreceptorTor Sow Khim, Chandra Sekaran Pethaperumal

KKPD – Outstanding TrainerMuthiah Logeswary, Goh Wei Lan

Society For Ear, Nose and Throat Advances in Children (SENTAC) Annual Meeting – Best Poster Award (2nd prize)Dr Ang Hui Chi Annette

ResearchAnnual Conference of the International Society of Paediatric Surgical Oncology – Best Paper AwardDiagnostic delay in paediatric solid tumoursDr Amos Loh

The 3rd Quadrennial Meeting of the World Federation of Neuro-Oncology jointly with The 6th Meeting ofthe Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology(ASNO)– The Takao Hoshino Award for Young InvestigatorsDr Teo Wan Yee

56 57 /

CHANGI GENERAL HOSPITAL

Mr Ronald Koh’s (right) great passion in life is origami. He even belongs to the Singapore team that holds the world’s record for the largest origami sculpture. When a stroke paralysed his left side in February 2009, he thought that he would never be able to make origami sculptures again. But his wife and the nurses of CGH did not give up on him and his dreams. With their encouragement and his perserverance, Mr Koh learnt to use his other hand making simple birds, and progressed to more complex fi gures. Mr Koh nowsets his sights on a new goal post-stroke – another origami world record. With him is Mr T K Udairam, Chief Executive Offi cer of CGH.

PATIENT CAREChangi General Hospital (CGH) is collaborating with healthcare partners to integrate care in eastern Singapore. One of its key initiatives is partnering GPs to look after stable chronic care disease patients. Through the General Practitioner Chronic Care (GPCC) programme, CGH enables outpatients with chronic conditions to receive follow-up care and treatment from GPs, instead of following up with the specialist at the hospital. Through this right-siting programme, patients benefi t from the fl exibility of visiting GP clinics which tend to be situated closer to where they live. In addition, patients have someone familiar with their medical history treating them. GP clinics are also open in the evening, making it easier for patients to schedule check-ups after work.

The programme has been very successful, with currently 57 GPs and 313 patients already on the programme. More than 90 per cent of patients enrolled did not have any unplanned follow-ups at the clinic, nor were they admitted to CGH within the fi rst year. The programme, which began in 2008, is available for patients with diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure and asthma.

CGH also started a new programme to help elderly patients make the transition from hospital to home. Last year, CGH formed The Aged Care Transition

(ACTION) Team with the Agency for Integrated Care. This team focuses on improving the quality of life for newly-discharged patients, thus reducing hospital re-admissions and admissions to nursing homes. On admission, elderly patients who are assessed as high-risk are counselled, often with family members present. They are then given a discharge plan highlighting the range of available community services such as home care, interim care or respite care.

The ACTION Team then closely monitors the patient’s progress via phone, and if necessary, by visiting them. Thanks to ACTION, elderly patients are able to live in familiar surroundings at home, and have their health needs taken care of at the same time.

CGH has also made a number of innovations to assist patients in the hospital. An example is a project to help dysphagic patients eat better. Speech therapists introduced patients to swallowing strategies while dieticians created meal plans that were balanced and palatable. As a result, patients enjoyed their food more. This project bagged CGH an award at the Asian Hospital Management Awards 2009 in the Department Service Improvement category.

At the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department, CGH improved patient satisfaction rates, thanks to a patient-centric approach to help patients and their

“Making sure patients receive the right care at the right time has always been at the heart of CGH’s patient-centric approach. In FY09/10, we strengthened the coordination of care for our patients through our GP Chronic Care Programme and the ACTION Team. We also focused on patient education with a Breast Cancer Myth Campaign and the publication of the “Diabetes Companion” book. More importantly, I am glad our staff are working on projects that make a difference to our patients. The project to help dysphagic patients eat better is one of them.

We have also grown our clinical capabilities in the year by adding a renal dialysis centre and strengthened our clinical collaborations through medical conferences hosted by the hospital.

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the SingHealth group, we are glad to be part of the largest healthcare group in Singapore. Being part of the group has strengthened our areas of excellence and grown our focus on academic medicine.”

T K Udairam

Chief Executive Offi cer, Changi General Hospital

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family members navigate around A&E. CGH printed brochures, together with a journey map mounted on the wall, to explain procedures that patients would have to undergo upon admission to the A&E. This information reduced the uncertainty felt by waiting patients. After these measures were introduced, complaints fell by 66 per cent . Since October 2009, all discharged patients from the A&E receive a get-well card via mail to their homes which includes a helpline number. This is helpful for patients who may need to reach the hospital if their condition changes. This initiative has been well-received and the A&E department was rated second among hospitals in Singapore in the 2009 MOH Patient Satisfaction Survey for overall satisfaction, despite being one of the busiest in the country. This project was a runner-up in the Customer Service category of the Asian Hospital Management Awards 2009.

In February 2010, CGH opened a new Renal Dialysis Unit with fi ve haemodialysis machines and one peritoneal dialysis machine. Between eight and 10 inpatients can now go for dialysis each day at CGH. Previously, stable patients had to go to external dialysis centres while less stable inpatients were treated at the medical intensive care unit. Apart from the added convenience, the Dialysis Centre at CGH also provides continuity of care for patients.

EDUCATIONIn August last year, the Changi Sports Medicine Centre (CSMC) and the Singapore Motor Sports Association organised the inaugural Motorsports Medicine Symposium, which was attended by more than 150 medical practitioners. CGH’s CSMC is building its capabilities to take the lead in motorsports medicine training and development in Singapore. Two CGH doctors – Dr Kelvin Chew, Consultant Sports Physician, and Dr Lim Kay Kiat, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon – also helmed an all-Singaporean medical team at the 2009 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.

In September last year, CSMC organised a Sports Safety Industry Forum to highlight key sports safety issues which organisers should take into consideration when organising sports events.CGH has also been busy with public education campaigns. Last year, CGH ran a Breast Cancer Myths campaign to dispel the myths and misconceptions that hinder early detection. The campaign ran in MRT trains and educated people on basic myths surrounding breast cancer in order to encourage women to go for breast examinations and to seek help if they detect any abnormalities.

To aid diabetics, CGH and Marshall Cavendish jointly published “The Diabetes Companion”, a complete self-management guide for diabetics and their family and friends. The book covers complications from diabetes, tips on eating right, oral diabetes medicine and self-monitoring of blood glucose. This book aims to help diabetics take control of their condition. The Diabetes Companion is the latest in a slew of titles published by CGH that aims to educate and empower patients with health information.

RESEARCHIn November last year, CGH organised the Annual Scientifi c Meeting 2009. The meeting brought together over 200 local and overseas healthcare professionals to share their ideas and experience on the integration of healthcare. Among those who spoke were specialists from Taiwan’s biggest hospital group, the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

In March this year, CGH organised the Third CGH-Laboratory Medicine Symposium on “Current Topics in Laboratory Medicine”. The symposium attracted over 200 participants and included industry presentations from both Singapore and overseas. It touched on and reviewed the latest trends in the diagnosis of many diseases common and relevant to community care. Speakers highlighted updates in the identifi cation of biomarkers for chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes and even cancer.


Mdm Connie Mok was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and had a mastectomy. After the operation, she learned that the cancer had already spread to her spine. She went on to have spinal surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In 2009, they found a tumour in her liver, which meant another round of radiotherapy. Throughout these health crises, she had the unwavering support of her husband who helped her face the challenges with courage. Also supporting her back to health were the surgical, oncological and orthopaedic team of CGH. Next to her is Dr Lee Haw Chou, Consultant and Director of the Spine Orthopaedic Service at CGH.

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OUR PEOPLETalent development is integral to CGH’s commitment to groom our staff and develop our quality of care. Last year, 18 doctors, 23 nurses and fi ve allied health professionals went for HMDP (Health Manpower Development Plan) international attachments. In addition, fi ve senior clinicians and management staff attended the SMU-SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management and Leadership.

Developing our talents is also about keeping staff happy, healthy and motivated, as CGH believes in caring for the caregiver so that they can deliver quality care to patients.

Under CGH’s Formal Mentoring Scheme, 15 nursingstaff were paired up with senior nursing leaders for support and guidance in making important career transitions and advancements.

As a champion for work-life balance, CGH implementeda fi ve-day work week roster for more than 1,000 ward nurses, allowing them to enjoy an extra off-day a week. This enhanced work roster has been well received by nurses.

CGH’s work-life initiatives are highly valued by staff. In the Biennial Employee Opinion Survey, CGH scored signifi cantly better than the Singapore national norm in terms of employee satisfaction.

At the Singapore HR Awards 2009, CGH received four awards – HR Advocate Award in Quality Work Life, Leading HR Practices in Workplace Safety and Health, and Special Mention in Health and Employee wellness.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTIn March, CGH encouraged patients to experience a walkthrough of a prototype of a new subsidised orthopaedic clinic and give feedback on its design. This demonstrates CGH’s commitment to understand patients’ needs and put patients at the heartof all it does.

One month later, CGH took part in a carnival organised by Singapore Airlines. CGH contributed a game booth for underprivileged seniors and conducted rounds of memory games, courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association.

To help needy patients, CGH’s HomeCare Assist, a patient welfare charity, has seen a growth in the amount of disbursements since it started in 2002. Last year, the total amount of disbursements for needy patients exceeded $200,000.



Workload per annumBed Occupancy Rate 85.1% 84.1%Inpatient Admissions 40,671 42,200Inpatient Discharges 40,677 42,155Total Patient Days 230,151 227,079Average Length of Stay (days) 5.7 5.4Total Surgical Operations 40,540 41,420 Day Surgeries 23,355 24,463 Inpatient Surgeries 17,185 16,957Specialist Outpatient Clinic Attendances 342,973 346,860Accident & Emergency Attendances 163,809 159,542Dental Attendances 4,846 4,419Dental Procedures 4,793 4,868

Staffi ng (as at end Mar)Total 3,161 2,800 Doctors 384 352 Nurses 1,451 1,243 Allied Health Professionals 448 382 Others 877 1 823


1 includes 3.75 dentists


AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Patient CareAsian Hospital Management Awards 2009Joint Winner of Departmental Service Improvement Project Category: “A Multidisciplinary Approach to Improving Oral Intake of Malnourished Dysphagic Patients at the Dysphagia Table”

Excellence Awardee of Customer Service Project Category: “Communicating with our patients in the Emergency Department”

Winner of Technical Service Improvement ProjectCategory (Most Outstanding Project): “Digital ward– Innovating for the Hospital of the future”

Excellent Service Awards 2009 227 staff – 8 Star, 46 Gold, 173 Silver

National Day Awards 2009 (Commendation)Dr Goh Soon Noi

National Day Awards 2009 (Long Service)Ang Feck Lam, Choo Hwee Hiang Jessie, Eu Cheng Huat, Hira Lal Parsad s/o Dodanad, Koh Lai Team, Lee Yee Mui, Lim Fui In, Dr See Hung Foo, Tan Kheng Hiang

National Day Awards 2009 (Effi ciency)Fong Poh Chee, Har Kwai Lin, Liu Li Chu,Sim Geok Lian Susy, Tan Shiow Pin

MOH Nurses’ Merit Award 2009Simon Ong Teck Leong, Hiew Swee Sim,Juanita Maureen Wallace, Chua Yen Nee Sophia,Li Fuyin, Arulmary d/o Villasomy

Healthcare Humanity Awards 2010Dr Ng Li-Ling, Leong Yoke Yin, Hanijah Binte Abdul Hamid, Simon Ong Teck Leong, Neo Soon KeowFazslinda Binte Mohamed, Tan Siok Hwa Hannah

May Day Model Partnership Awards 2009Mohd Jadi Bin Fazil Din

Education NYP Diploma in Nursing (Clinical Prize)Sharmila Devi Kotilingam Sridharan

NYP Diploma with MeritTan Wei Yu Evelyn, Swee Fong Juan, Chong Siew Lin

ITE Certifi cate of MeritLee Soh Bee

SingHealth-Lee Foundation Nursing AwardsGoh Poh Hong

ResearchDigestive Disease Week 2009 (Poster of Distinction)Dr Poh Choo Hean

Human Resource/Talent DevelopmentSingapore Human Resource Institute Awards 2009HR Advocate Award in Quality Work-Life

Leading HR Practices Award in Quality Work-Life, Workplace Safety & Health

Leading HR Practices (Special Mention) Award in Health and Employee Wellness

Home Team National Service Awards 2009 Distinguished Home Team Partner Award

Total Defence Awards 2009Distinguished Defence Partner Award

SHARE Platinum Award 2009

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NATIONAL CANCER CENTRE SINGAPORE

In 2008, Ms Wong Chiou Wei found a lump in her left cheek which turned out to be cancerous. She consulted Professor Soo Khee Chee, the director of NCCS, who is also Senior Consultant at the Department of Surgical Oncology, who advised her to go for an operation to remove the tumour. Today, she is cancer-free and only needs to go for annual follow-ups at NCCS.

PATIENT CAREIn December, the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) began a new treatment called tomotherapy. This treatment allows doctors to deliver more precise and targeted doses at the tumour, and thus avoid damage to surrounding tissue.

The treatment is delivered by a new machine that combines Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy treatment, inverse treatment planning and 3D imaging. The on-board imaging system allowsdoctors to verify the position of the tumour priorto delivering the treatment.

In addition, NCCS is undergoing Joint Commission International accreditation. As part of this, the centre is putting in place policies and refi ning processes to provide a safe environment for patients.

Even as the centre gears up for the JCI audit, our doctors continue to show their potential in delivering excellent patient service. During the year, Dr Ong Kong Wee, an Associate Consultant at the Department of Surgical Oncology at the NCCS was nominated for the Singapore Experience Award. The Singapore Experience Award is organised by the Singapore Tourism Board and recognises the best individuals and organisations in various fi elds. Dr Ong was a fi nalist in the Customer Service-Healthcare category.

EDUCATIONLast year, the Research Division of NCCS organised four lectures under the Humphrey Oei Distinguished Lectures series. The speakers included Nobel Prize winner Prof Harald Zur Hausen and Dr John Dick, Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto.

In September 2009, a team of doctors and nurses went on a month-long study trip to the Washington Cancer Institute and the Washington Hospital Centre to fi ne-tune their experience in peritonectomy. This is a surgical procedure to remove the cancerous tumours in the peritoneum, a smooth, transparent, serous membrane which lines the cavity of the human body that is a common growth site for cancer.

The NCCS team subsequently returned and shared what they had learned in a seminar with more than 60 surgeons, oncologists and healthcare professionals from other healthcare institutions.

The NCCS is now into the next phase of its development as a national centre, having established a name for its cutting edge research and clinical trials. We have beensuccessful in nurturing a research and teaching culture within our team of professionals many of whom are going to areas of sub-specialisation in their fi elds of expertise.These have immensely benefi ted our patients as many are now able to survivecancer and have a better quality of life.

Our scientists and clinicians are making an impact not only at home but also overseaswhere we are sharing our expertise and collaborating with other international cancer centres. We will soon acquire even more new medical technology and equipment tocontinue to stay at the forefront of cancer care and treatment, in sync with our partnersin the SingHealth Group.”

Prof Soo Khee Chee

Director, National Cancer Centre Singapore

“

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RESEARCHDr Toh Han Chong, Head of the Department of Medical Oncology at NCCS, is leading a clinical trial of a new procedure to treat nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). NPC affects close to 600 men annually in Singapore and is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. This disease is particularly common across southern China and Southeast Asia. Dr Toh and his team are examining the effi cacy of the patient’s own immune system in eradicating metastatic NPC. To date, the results have been very encouraging and side-effects have been minimal.

Dr Daniel SW Tan, a medical oncologist, has been conferred the Young Investigator Award by the American Society of Clinical Oncology Cancer Foundation. He is the fi rst oncologist from Singapore to receive the award. The award comes with a grant that he is using for his research into treating NPC with a targeted drug.

Prof Teh Bin Tean, who is Director of NCCS-VARI Translational Research Laboratory and Distinguished Scientifi c Investigator at Van Andel Research Institute in Michigan is currently doing research to understand drug resistance with the aim of eventually creating customised treatments based on the genetic profi les of the cancer and patients.

For his efforts, Prof Teh was given the Singapore Translational Research Investigator Award in November 2009 by the Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council (NMRC) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Prof Huynh The Hung from the Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology at NCCS and his team have developed a way to test out drug combinations to provide personalised treatment for liver cancer. Tissue from the tumour is fi rst implanted in immuno-defi cient mice and grown. The team then applies different drug combinations to the tumour to see which combination is most effective.

Thanks to Prof Huynh’s pioneering work, NCCShas joined hands with AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical fi rm, to test drugs tocombat liver cancer.

OUR PEOPLEDr Melissa Teo, Consultant (Surgical Oncology) returned from Canada after completing two fellowships in Canada and a Masters degree in the US. At Princess Margaret Hospital in Canada, she completed a fellowship in Surgical Oncology. In her second year, she decided to pursue Colorectal Surgery as a specialty, which took her to Mount Sinai andSt Michael’s Hospitals, where she performed more than 200 major colorectal surgical operations. She also enrolled in a Masters in Public Health (Health Policy and Management) programme from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore in the US. Thanks to her exposure to both surgical oncology and colorectal surgery, Dr Teo has emerged from her training a better oncologist and colorectal surgeon.


When she fi rst came to NCCS, doctors were baffl ed. Ms Dewi Hermawati (seated) suffered from fi ts, bouts of confusion and unexplained fevers. A month of investigation and therapy revealed a cyst in her left ovary, and she was diagnosed with encephalitis, an acute infl ammation of the brain associated with cancer in the ovaries. The cyst was surgically removed but Ms Dewi’s confusion persisted. The team of oncologists, including Dr Tiffany Tang, Registrar, Department of Medical Oncology, decided on aggressive chemotherapy to treat Ms Dewi. In twenty days, she started responding to the treatment. Four months after completing chemotherapy, Ms Dewi was well enough to return to work. Today, the active young woman is cured and living life to the fullest.

66 67 /

Dr Daniel Tan, Associate Consultant (Medical Oncology) returned from The Royal Marsden Hospital in London UK. With a NMRC grant, he was attached to the Drug Development Unit where he also coordinated a research programme for the department. He spent nine months there, where he was involved in Phase 1 clinical trials, caring for participating patients, interacting with pharmaceutical companies and collaborating with other Phase 1 units in Europe and the US.

As a result of his fellowship, he is now better prepared to run clinical trials in Singapore which is a necessary step in uncovering new cancer-fi ghting drugs. Five other oncologists were also sent for overseas training stints during the year.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTIn May last year, NCCS completed the Wall of Hope project. This is a brick wall at the Outram Campus with 460 etched tiles affi xed on it. The tiles express messages of hope from cancer patients, survivors, family members and caregivers. The 15-month long project raised over $300,000 which will be directed towards lung cancer research.

On October 31 and November 1, MethodistGirls’ School raised $115,000 for NCCS to fund programmes for needy patients and their families through Sounds of Hope, a concert by performingarts groups from the school.

In September, NCCS launched its Second Liver Cancer Awareness Campaign that focussed on understanding fatty liver diseases, the risk of hepatitis and the current treatments and care for liver cancer. Public forums in English and Mandarin were held at the Paya Lebar Kovan Community Club.

In October, NCCS organised a mammogram marathon to encourage women over 50 to go for mammograms. A Pink Ribbon Cruise was also organised where doctors and volunteers from NCCS and Singapore General Hospital (SGH) brought breast cancer survivors and their loved ones for an evening cruise in November. Some 260 people took part in games, educational quizzes and enjoyed performances by the Main Wayang group during the four-hour event.

In November, more than 6,000 people came together to raise funds for cancer research at Run for Hope 2009. Close to $300,000 was raised. Among those who participated were Ms Jessica Tan, the Member of Parliament for East Coast GRC and Mr David Sevigny, the Canadian High Commissioner. Cancer survivor Ezzy Wang ran 10km on crutches and completed the run in one hour and 30 minutes.

In September, some 800 guests came togetherfor the 10th Anniversary Gala of Hope. Held at the Ritz-Carlton, the event raised almost $1.1 millionfor cancer research from table sales, donationsand auctions of paintings. President S. R. Nathanwas the Guest of Honour.



Workload per annumDay Surgeries 10,967 11,534Specialist Outpatient Clinic Attendances 128,418 129,265

Staffi ng (as at end Mar)Total 545 520 Doctors 112 112 Nurses 109 91 Allied Health Professionals 122 120 Others 202 198


AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Patient CareExcellent Service Awards 200933 staff – 4 Star, 4 Gold, 25 Silver

National Day Awards 2009 (Effi ciency) Chiew Cheng Fong

GCEO Excellence Awards 2009OPEN CATEGORY – CLINICAL SERVICEA/Prof Koo Wen Hsin

EducationSingHealth-Lee Foundation Nursing AwardsLee Kim Hua

ResearchSingapore Translational Research (StaR) AwardProf Teh Bin Tean

Clinician Scientist AwardDr Toh Han Chong, Dr Joseph Wee

NRF-MOH Healthcare Research Scholarship (PhD)Dr Iain Tan Bee Huat

NMRC Research Training FellowshipDr Richard Quek Hong Hui, Dr Wong Nan Soon

American Society of Clinical Oncology AwardDr Daniel Tan Shao Weng

68 69 /

NATIONAL DENTAL CENTRE SINGAPORE

Mr Alvin Yip (right), 24, was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. Initially treated by and operated on at SGH, he was then referred to NDC when he was 8 years old for orthodontics to manage his ongoing dental development as he was growing up. With him is Dr Kwa Chong Teck, Executive Director of NDC.

PATIENT CAREPatients are the focus at the National Dental Centre of Singapore (NDC) and the Centre has engaged in projects and activities to improve the way they are cared for.

Dental clearance is a necessary step to better manage the long-term oral effects of radiotherapy and to prevent dangerous bacterial infections following heart surgery. In July 2009, the NDC completed a project to improve treatment scheduling for patients who need urgent dental clearance before undergoing radiotherapy or heart surgery.

Previously, patients would come to NDC clinics right after their medical appointments. Without prior appointments but needing urgent care, these patients received treatment in between pre-appointed patients. This led to wait times which were longer for the latter group. If the patient required extensive dental treatment over a number of visits, this would sometimes lead to delays in the patient’s surgery and radiotherapy.

To address this problem, the referring institutions now call NDC for a same-day appointment for the patient. We also made more treatment slots available to this group of patients. As a result, walk-ins were reduced by 80 per cent and all patients benefi ted from fewer disruptions and waiting. Almost all referred patients now have their dental clearance either the same day or the following day.

NDC’s focus in FY09/10 was on improving patient safety and strengthening clinical governance. From reviewing existing practices, setting and implementing new standards to rigorously auditing them, our common goal is to improve the way we deliver safe and effective dental care for our patients.

In December 2010, we will benchmark our standards of care against the world’s fi nest medical institutions when we undergo the accreditation exercise by the Joint Commissions International board. For our patients and their families, this gives them further confi dence to entrust their oral health to us.

Our staff continue to search out ways to coordinate care and shorten waiting. A major priority was to achieve this for patients with complex needs such as heart or cancer conditions. Our clinical outcomes information is published on our website to help patients make healthcare provider decisions.

We continue to put in every effort to build a culture that retains our best talents. Staff development is an emphasised value at NDC and staff have many opportunities to develop throughout their career with us. We believe that by integrating continuing training and research into our clinical service, we will improve the standard of care we deliver.

We will always place our patients at the heart of all we do.”

Dr Kwa Chong Teck

Executive Director, National Dental Centre Singapore

“

70 71 /

NDC also completed another project in March 2010 to coordinate appointments for implant patients recalled one year after treatment. Previously, these patients had to make two separate visits to NDC, fi rst to see the prosthodontist and subsequently, the periodontist. To improve care coordination, NDC introduced a new electronic alert system for appointment listing staff to customise the booking. The improvements in clinical-operations communication has resulted in greater convenience for patients and time savings for clinicians.

NDC tracks clinical indicators for commonly performed dental procedures as part of an overall programme for managing clinical quality. NDC published two indicators on its website in the year – unplanned returns following surgery for impacted wisdom teeth extraction and unplanned returns following fi llings. This is in line with MOH’s drive to have all public healthcare institutions benchmark themselves and thus empower patients with information.

In January 2010, the Paediatric Dentistry Unit started a new Infant Oral Health Clinic targeted at parents and caregivers to improve their awareness of Early Childhood Caries, a dental disease that can easily transmit from caregivers to infants. The clinic’s services include detailed assessments for the child and caregiver to determine their risk of getting and passing on dental decay. We plan preventive or interceptive strategies with the goal of improving the child’s future dental development.

To raise awareness of service standards, NDC organised a customised workshop in September 2009 for nursing and frontline staff. We designed a workshop “Service Quality, The NDC Way” using feedback gathered from the annual MOH Patient Satisfaction Survey. 114 nursing and frontline staff completed the training. Using practical scenarios, they learnt the need for good customer service, how to build rapport with customers, how to deal with diffi cult customers and how to build an action plan for delivering good customer service.

In August 2009, NDC began a project to convert plaster orthodontic records to 3D-digital records.The project solves the dual challenge of saving space with an ever-increasing records pool and meeting record archival needs. We expect that retrieving virtual models and analyzing them will become more effi cient when digitisation is complete. The project also paves the way for integrating these records into NDC’s future Electronic Dental Records system.


Mdm Yeo Choon Huan, 65, needed help because her 10-year-old dentures would not fi t anymore. Her lower jaw condition could not support conventional dentures. A team of doctors at NDC worked together to fi t her with implants that could anchor an overdenture instead. Today, she is able to enjoy her favourite foods again. With her is Dr Teoh Khim Hean Senior Consultant from the Department of Restorative Dentistry Prosthodontic Unit, one of the doctors who took care of her.

72 73 /

EDUCATIONNDC is the leading provider of education for dental practitioners in Singapore. The clinical departments at NDC organised 229 hours of educational activities last year. These included special workshops on conebeam CT diagnostics, periodontal considerations in implant treatment and minimal intervention dentistry.

NDC is an accredited clinical training Centre for the National University of Singapore (NUS) to prepare candidates for examinations leading to the award of Masters in Dental Surgery degrees by NUS. Our senior clinician supervisors continuously put in their time and expertise to nurture and mentor the dental specialists of tomorrow.

NDC is also an accredited training centre for the National ITE Certifi cation programmes for dental assisting and dental technology. In May 2010, 11 NDC-sponsored trainees graduated from the second intake of the NITEC in Dental Assisting Programme. We also enrolled nine new trainees for the NITEC in Dental Technology course.

The Centre’s ACORN Secretariat continues to develop its structure to better support the education and research needs of the Centre.

RESEARCHAt NDC, research efforts continue to expand. The scale and scope of research projects have expanded from pilot to theme-based projects and from observational to clinical trials, animal and laboratory-based projects.

NDC managed to secure $1.3 million in research grants and awards last year. Currently there are 32 ongoing research projects, of which three are thematic research programmes: on Mandibular Reconstructions, on PCL Biodegradable Scaffolds and on Tissue Regeneration.

Research in NDC is PhD focused and researchershave the opportunity to obtain their PhD whileparticipating in research.

On 12 March 2010, NDC organised the 2010 Research Day with the theme ‘Bioengineering – Opportunity for Synergy’. This event promoted scientifi c exchanges between researchers and also showcased the current applications in bioengineering.

We improved our dedicated research facility set up in Dec 2008 with fi nancial support from the National Medical Research Council. The lab is able to support research on molecular, immunological, histological, cell tissue culture and ion chromatography analysis.


OUR PEOPLENDC believes staff development is an important pillar for retaining its best talents. In addition to training to keep clinical skills up-to-date, the Centre fully supports clinicians who choose to pursue other training and research activities that are aligned to its vision of developing an academic medical centre.

Last year, three NDC clinicians were conferred PhDs. In total, four members of NDC’s clinical staff have earned their PhDs in the past two years. In addition, three other NDC clinicians are currently workingon their PhDs.

The Centre conducted its second employee opinion survey in February 2010. NDC recognises outstanding staff who contribute to the centre. It gave out 30 Long Service awards and put up patient compliments in public spaces and on the intranet.

As a caring employee, NDC also ensures that its staff wellness programme actively targets improvements in the overall physical and mental health of staff.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTNDC continues to help make dentistry possible for the fi nancially needy by funding their treatments through its Patient Welfare and Tooth Fairy Funds as well as direct remissions. In FY2009, we disbursed over $188,000 which benefi tted 683 patients. Funding came from the SingHealth Foundation, the Singapore Totalisator Board and the Centre.

Within the SingHealth cluster, NDC was the lead institution organising the SingHealth President’s Challenge 2009 fundraising campaign to raise money for the President’s charities. The Cluster raised a total of $300,000 for this cause.


Workload per annumDay Surgeries 6,461 6,464Dental Attendances 160,884 165,234Dental Procedures 164,475 157,868

Staffi ng (as at end Mar)Total 329 337 Dentists 79 78 Nurses 13 14 Allied Health Professionals 43 43 Dental Surgery Assistants 55 58 Others 139 145


No. of Dentists excludes Dental Offi cers deployed to arm forces, schools and polyclinics as well as postgraduate residents.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Excellent Service Awards 2009 7 staff – 2 Gold, 5 Silver

74 75 /

NATIONAL HEART CENTRE SINGAPORE

Mr Chua Yoke Lim (right), 66, followed his heart, and is alive today for that reason. Five different medical practitioners told him that the chest discomfort he experienced while exercising was nothing to worry about, but Mr Chua decided to go for a thorough medical check-up at NHCS. Tests there revealed he had four blockages in his heart. His heart bypass surgery was scheduled two weeks later. Mr Chua is now back at work as a relief taxi driver, and goes for cardiac rehabilitation at NHCS twice a week. With him is A/Prof Koh Tian Hai, Medical Director, NHCS.

PATIENT CAREThe National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) now offers an alternative treatment to atrial fi brillation patients who are at high risk of stroke from long-term warfarin medication. Atrial fi brillation is a condition where the heart beats irregularly, which can cause blood clots. Warfarin which is a drug typically used to address this condition, is not suitable for all patients as it could cause bleeding, especially in the elderly. In October last year, NHCS performed Asia’s fi rst percutaneous closure of the left atrial appendage using the Watchman device. The device is permanently implanted in these high-risk patients to prevent them from having a stroke caused by blood clots that start in the heart. The Watchman device blocks off the left atrial appendage where 90 per cent of blood clots in the heart form.

Mr Cheong Ching Chuan, 70, was the fi rst to undergo this new procedure. A retiree, Mr Cheong has long-term atrial fi brillation and was at high risk of stroke. After he accidentally knocked his head twice, doctors discontinued his warfarin treatment as he developed haematoma in the brain. After the successful procedure,Mr Cheong has not experienced any bleeding.

Another example of a patient-centric advancement is the introduction of a hybrid operating theatre (OT) that allows hybrid cardiovascular procedures. With the hybrid OT, doctors can easily convert a coronary angioplasty to an open heart bypass surgery if needed. This helps to improve patient safety. The new setup also helps patients save time and money with fewer operations, quicker recovery and shorter hospital stays. It also offers a viable option for very high-risk patients where the non-availability of such a facility in the past meant they could not be treated.

As the standard bearer for cardiovascular care, the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) is constantly seeking new treatment options that are evidence-based to give our patients the best care possible. In 2009, NHCS introduced a number of new therapies that allow us to provide timely and optimal patient care. This includes the hybrid operating theatre, which greatly enhances patient safety and helps patients save time and money with fewer operations, quicker recovery and shorter hospital stays.

NHCS also introduced the magnetic navigation system for electrophysiological proceduresto treat patients with complex arrhythmias. With greater navigation precision, we are ableto shorten the procedure time and enhance patient safety.

On the education front, NHCS joined hands with EuroPCR to launch the fi rst AsiaPCR-SingLIVE. The collaboration helps to bring cutting-edge interventional cardiology to the doorstep of Asian doctors and paramedical staff, without the need for them to travellong distances to Europe.

NHCS offi cially opened the induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPS) Laboratory in March 2010with a $10 million grant from the National Research Foundation. The new facility will research autologous cell therapy for ageing hearts.

We will continue to pursue the highest standards of cardiovascular care that is accessible and affordable to all Singaporeans.”

Associate Professor Koh Tian Hai

Medical Director, National Heart Centre Singapore

“

76 77 /

Hassan Bin Doll, 59, who suffered from severe aortic stenosis and chronic lung disease, was among the earliest to benefi t from the new hybrid OT. His condition was so bad that it left him breathless even when sitting down. Because of his poor lung function, traditional valve replacement was ruled out as it was too risky. With the hybrid OT, Mr Hassan was able to undergo the percutaneous aortic valve replacement. After a short hospital stay of fi ve days, he was discharged and able to resume his normal lifestyle.

NHCS also introduced a magnetic navigation system for electrophysiological procedures to treat patients with complex abnormal heart rhythms such as rapid or irregular heartbeats. Using computer-aided magnetic guidance, cardiologists can more precisely and accurately navigate the catheters and guidewires within the heart, reducing the procedure time from four to six hours down to two to three hours. In turn, the new system reduces radiation exposure, enhancing patient safety. In addition, the magnetically-enabled catheters are softer and more fl exible, hence reducing the chance of distorting or damaging the heart wall to less than 1 per cent from 2 to 3 per cent. NHCS is the fi rst in Southeast Asia and among the fi rst few in Asia to introduce this new magnetic navigation system for catheter ablation.

Patients with end-stage heart failure now have a much improved option for left-ventricular support of the heart. A new device, known as HeartMate II, has a much smaller pump, making it fully implantable within patient’s body regardless of patient’s chest cavity size. This makes it suitable for adults with smaller builds, such as women or Asians. The new device can potentially be used for chronic long-term support of patients with irreversible heart failure.

Mechanical heart assist devices, such as HeartMate IIwhich take over the function of a failing heart by pumping blood around the body, provide critically ill patients with a way to prolong and improve their quality of life while waiting for a heart transplant.

Young mother, Salina Mohamed So’ot, was given a new lease of life with HeartMate II. Before the surgery, the mother of a three-year-old girl, was bedridden

with an enlarged heart and severe irregular heartbeat. As her condition was unstable, her chance of getting a heart transplant was slim. Now, the portable device keeps her alive and allows her to look after her little girl while waiting for a heart transplant.

EDUCATIONIn January 2010, the renowned interventional meeting, EuroPCR (Paris Course on Revascularisation) partnered with NHCS to jointly launch the fi rst AsiaPCR-SingLIVE, a cardiology conference combining EuroPCR and Singapore LIVE.

EuroPCR is one of the two biggest interventional meetings in the world while Singapore LIVE is an annual cardiology conference which has been organised by NHCS since 1989. Each year, over 1,000 doctors and healthcare professionals from around the globe attend the Singapore LIVE course to benefi t from the sharing of current and new interventional techniques and devices by experts.

The collaboration with EuroPCR helps to bring cutting-edge interventional cardiology to Asian doctors and paramedical staff, eliminating the need to travel long distances to Europe.

RESEARCHNHCS offi cially opened the induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPS) Laboratory in March 2010. The laboratory was set up with a grant of up to$10 million awarded by the National Research Foundation. The new research facility will facilitate research into autologous cell therapy for ageing hearts. With this laboratory in place, the Research and Development Unit of NHCS has moved into high-value, competitive research involving stem cell technology.

In December last year, NHCS collaborated with the Institute of Microelectronics to develop a faster and simpler test kit for heart attacks. This kit tests for specifi c cardiac biomarkers in blood, such as troponin-T and creatinine kinases. Elevated levels of troponin-T or creatinine kinases in the blood alert the doctors that a heart attack has taken place. As the kits are deployed on-site as opposed to a central laboratory, confi rmation of the condition is rapid.


In May 2009, Mdm Salina Mohamed So’ot, 32, became the fi rst in Singapore to get the new HeartMate II artifi cial heart. The HeartMate II has a smaller pump, making it ideal for patients with slight builds like petite Mdm Salina who stands just 1.56m tall. With her new artifi cial heart, Mdm Salina can carry on with her life while she waits for a heart transplant. She’s able to savour the ordinary joys of a walk in the park or time playing with her toddler, without risking her health. With her is Dr C. Sivathasan, Co-Director, Heart and Lung Transplant Programme, part of the highly-skilled multidisciplinary team caring for Mdm Salina.

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This is crucial in heart attack scenarios as the faster and more accurate the diagnosis can be made, the quicker proper care and treatment can be instituted.

OUR PEOPLEDr Su Jang Wen, a Consultant at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery spent two years at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Centre, one of the top heart centres in the US, under the Health Manpower Development Programme (HMDP). The training exposed him to a full range of complex cardiac operations especially minimally invasive valvular surgeries and redo cardiac surgeries, and thoracic operations with emphasis in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, airway surgery and esophagectomy.

The Cleveland Clinic also emphasises research, which allowed Dr Su to present fi ve papers and publish three. His training also helped to strengthen the relationship between NHCS and the Cleveland Clinic, thus allowing for future exchanges and consultations. Upon his return in 2009, Dr Su aims to establish a minimally invasive surgical service in both cardiac and thoracic surgery to provide patients with less pain, shorter hospital stays and better cosmetic outcomes.

Between July 2008 and August 2009, Dr See Chai Keat, a Consultant at the Department of Cardiology went on an echocardiography fellowship at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland in Australia. There, he learnt more systematic ways of interpreting stress echocardiography results to improve the accuracy of the reporting. He also learned more about echocardiographic strain and strain-rate imaging, which is non-invasive method for assessing myocardial regional and global functions. During his fellowship, he completed close to 1,400 cases of stress echocardiography and published a number of research papers. Dr See plans to apply his knowledge by procuring a comprehensive clinical workstation to allow for a more effi cient workfl ow, higher patient throughput and increased productivity at NHCS.

Dr David Sim, an Associate Consultant at the Department of Cardiology did his heart failure fellowship at The Alfred Heart Centre in Melbourne, Australia between May 2008 and September 2009.

During his fellowship he performed more than 500 cases of right heart studies and cardiac biopsies. Right heart studies are performed to monitor the haemodynamic as part of the pre-transplant workup. Cardiac biopsies are done after heart transplants to watch for signs of rejection. Since his return, Dr Sim has adopted a proactive approach to identify and treat heart failure patients at an early stage to reduce hospitalisation rate, prolong survival and give patients a better quality of life.

Dr Fong Meng Kum, Assistant Director of Nursing, was awarded the SingHealth-Alice Lee Institute of Advanced Nursing Scholarship to scholarship to pursue a PhD degree in clinical education at The University of Melbourne. For her PhD, Dr Fong investigated the effectiveness of clinical supervision as perceived by new nurses, their preceptors (buddies), and nurse managers/nurse clinicians in six acute-care hospitals in Singapore. She discovered that effectiveness was related to the frequency, type and duration of supervision sessions. Her fi ndings provide a foundation for supporting new nurses in their transition from student to clinician.

Dr Fong also presented her research fi ndings at the 2009 Shanghai International Nursing Conference. Her research paper gained an “Excellent Paper” award at the conference. The PhD has also given Dr Fong a personal sense of achievement and has helped her to better manage new nurses; taking care of both their welfare as well as their professional development.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT In October last year, NHCS supported the President’s Challenge 2009. Besides raising funds for the needy, the centre also garnered 569 smiles under the SingHealth’s “Healthcare, I Care!” 10K Smiles Project. In addition, 15 staff led by NHCS Acting Chief Operating Offi cer Malcolm Koh spent time with some 70 elderly folks at the Yong-En Care Centre on 31 October 2009. The staff and residents sang karaoke, watched a movie, played ball games, and celebrated birthdays. Residents also received a goodie bag from NHCS.




Workload per annumBed Occupancy Rate 72.7% 77.6%Inpatient Admissions 9,955 9,863Inpatient Discharges 9,928 9,891Total Patient Days 48,660 50,273Average Length of Stay (days) 4.9 5.1Total Procedures* 6,683 6,291 Day Procedures* 34 26 Inpatient Procedures* 6,649 6,265Specialist Outpatient Clinic Attendances 101,113 99,355



* Interventional and Surgical

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Patient CareExcellent Service Awards 2009 76 staff – 11 Star, 25 Gold, 40 Silver

National Day Awards 2009 (Effi ciency)Ong Bee Geok, Sim Ling Ling, Tay Ai Liu

National Day Awards 2009 (Long Service)Veronica Kwok Hong Har, Wong Ah Nooi

MOH Nurses’ Merit Award 2009Foong Jia Yi, Pauline Lim

Healthcare Humanity Awards 2010Dr C Sivathasan, Loo Yu Jen, Jasmine Lee

May Day Model Partnership Award 2009 (Individual)Chia Li Sen

GCEO Excellence Awards 2009 – Professional (Medical)A/Prof Terrance Chua

National Safety and Security Watch Group (SSWG) AwardNHCS

National IQC Convention 8 Awards – 6 Gold, 2 Silver

EducationSingHealth-Lee Foundation Nursing ScholarshipGillian Wee

SingHealth-Lee Foundation Nursing AwardsJasmine Lee

Duke-NUS GMS Outstanding Innovator Award(Normal Body Module)Dr Kenny Sin

Duke-NUS GMS Outstanding Innovator Award(Body and Disease Module)A/Prof Hwang Nian Chih

ResearchNational Medical Research Council GrantDr Zhong Liang

Duke-NUS (Goh Cardiovascular Research Award)Dr Reginald Liew, Dr Tan Swee Yaw

Human Resource/Talent DevelopmentWork-Life Achiever Award 2009

Singapore Health Award 2009 (Gold)

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NATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE

Ten days in a coma from a severe brain infection is terrifying. Ms Margina Lee did more than wake up in 2006, she made a full recovery and is back at work, thanks to the care of her multidisciplinary care management team at NNI who provided excellent medical and nursing care while she battled her way back to health. With her is A/Prof Lee Kim En, NNI Deputy Director, Senior Consultant and Head of Department of Neurology (TTSH Campus).

PATIENT CAREIn the middle of last year, the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) set up a new Neuroimmunology and Neuroinfectious disease sub-specialty clinic. Patients suffering from auto-immune or infective neurological disorders can now seek treatment from this weekly clinic, which also evaluates in-patients with complex neuroimmune and neuroinfectious disorders.

In April 2009, the Neuroradiology department installed a new bi-plane fl at panel neuroangiographic machine so that neurointerventional procedures can be done with access to clearer images and thus lower radiation doses. Some procedures can also be done more accurately with the new system.

Apart from acquiring new equipment, NNI has also increased its support for patients with multiple sclerosis. In 2008, the institute set up a Neuroimmunology Database and Tissue Repository.This is a repository of DNA, blood cells, plasma, serum and cerebrospinal fl uid, collected and banked during routine diagnostic investigations. The repository is linked to a comprehensive database of patient data such as phenotype, exposure to risk factors and family history. The database and tissue repository will be a vital tool in the study of diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In addition to the database, NNI will also be part of a multi-centre clinical trial to treat MS. The randomised, placebo-controlled trial aims to treat patients with early signs of MS to delay relapses and disability.

EDUCATIONThe NNI has an Offi ce of Neurological Education (ONE) that aims to make neurology more accessible to undergraduates and post-graduates. In the last year, ONE has been pioneering new teaching methods such as team-based learning, debates and video for medical students at the National University of Singapore and the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. Team-based learning involves getting students to think and debate diagnostic and therapeutic options using real-life case scenarios. ONE is also evaluating the use of debates as a learning strategy at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

To cater to the US-style residency that has kicked off in 2010, NNI has been converting resident teaching into a series of videos or interactive slides. This way, residents will be able to prepare for their posting before stepping into NNI. NNI is also shifting the way it teaches residents. Previously, the emphasis was disease-based learning. However, the new emphasis is on case-based learning so that medical offi cers can learn how to handle patients presenting common symptoms such as weakness, dizziness or headache.

NNI is actively involved in continuing medical education and organising advanced training and conferences to healthcare professionals in Singapore, around the region and beyond. Since 1999, it has organised the annual Advanced Neuroradiology Course and Singapore Stroke Conference and the Neurosurgical Approaches Course since 2007.

The year, 2009 was an eventful one for the National Neuroscience Institute. Amongthe many, the most memorable milestone was our 10th Anniversary. Since NNI started operations in 1999, we have always put our patients fi rst. Ten years later, our missionto provide the best neuroscience care to our patients still stands strong. We remainsteadfast in our commitment towards excellence in the neuroscience.

Our partnerships with Singapore’s major hospitals have continued and grown stronger. Patient care was enhanced through the use of technology and acquisition of new equipment. In keeping with our aim to nurture the next generation in the neurosciences, we continue to be actively involved in training and organising scientifi c updates and conferences to healthcare professionals in Singapore, around the region and beyond.”

Professor Lee Wei Ling

Director, National Neuroscience Institute

“

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In 2009, NNI organised over fi ve medical conferences and several workshops. The workshops included the NNI-Community Care Partners Programme series of workshops on Psychosocial, Speech Therapy and Nutrition for nurses and allied health professionals who care for patients with Parkinson’s Disease.

In June 2009, NNI organised the fi rst Singapore seminar on Spine Nursing. The following month, the Neurocognitive Symposium, the fi rst such event in Southeast Asia, was held. More than 200 hundred participants attended, with more than 30 from the neighbouring countries.

RESEARCHNNI was part of an international, multi-centre study into strokes that points the way for better identifi cation of the type of stroke suffered. The study showed that patients that have suffered from “lacunar strokes” are likely to show signs of this in the retina’s network of blood vessels. As a result, neurologists are now looking at new causes for lacunar strokes.

Associate Professor Lim Kah Leong, Senior Research Scientist at NNI-TTSH campus, Associate Professor Tan Eng King, Senior Consultant Neurologist at NNI-SGH campus, and the NNI Translational Clinical Research Programme team members published a study in last September’s issue of Journal of Neuroscience, a leading international neuroscience journal.

The researchers had developed a new fl y model of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which displays features closely resembling the human condition. Studying the new model could help unlock mysteries that surrounds brain cell death in PD patients and speed up drug discovery efforts.

NNI staff are also doing research into the rehabilitation of stroke patients. Associate Professor Ang Beng Ti of NNI is working with Dr Guan Cuntai from the Institute for Infocomm Research and Dr Karen Chua from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) on technology to help rehabilitate stroke patients. Called ArtsBCI (Advanced rehabilitation therapy for stroke based on Brain Computer Interface), the project is funded by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

OUR PEOPLEIn March 2010, Dr Rajinder Singh, a Consultant in the Department of Neurology, NNI–TTSH Campus, won

the Best Singhealth Clinical Practice Improvement Programme Award for his project which helped acute stroke patients receive intravenous recombinent tissue type plasminogen activator (IV r-TPA) quickly upon admission. Thanks to his project, the median door-to-needle time dropped from 75 minutes in 2008 to 50 minutes in 2009. In addition, more than 83 per cent of patients received their IV r-TPA in 60 minutes or less from the time they were admitted, compared to 40 per cent in 2008. By being able to administer the IV r-TPA sooner, patients shorten their hospital stay, reduce their disability level and improve their outcomes.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTOn World Stroke Day last October, NNI stroke team from both the SGH and TTSH campuses worked with partners to produce materials such as posters, fl yers and pocket-sized information cards to raise awareness about strokes, how they can be prevented and how they can be recognised.

In July last year, NNI organised a public forum called “Your Brain and Nervous System – How can they affect you?” The forum covered common neurological conditions and their treatment options. The forum was held in conjunction with NNI’s 10th Anniversary.


Workload per annumSpecialist Outpatient Clinic Attendances 38,238 37,731



AWARDS & ACCOLADES

MOH Nurses’ Merit Award 2009Chan Wai Yee

National Day Awards 2009 (Long Service) Tien Sin Leong

NATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE

One day in 2006, Mdm Ong Siew Bee’s (seated) world changed with the diagnosis of a brain tumour, meningioma. Her surgeryand treatment at NNI that year led to a full recovery, thanks to the care and treatment she received from NNI’s multi-disciplinaryteam. With her is Ms Cyzilia Kang, Senior Radiographer.

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SINGAPORE NATIONAL EYE CENTRE

Mr Alvin Lu (right) came to SNEC after eye surgery at another facility failed, leaving him with serious complications. Prof Donald Tan, Medical Director of SNEC, performed the cornea transplant Mr Lu needed using a minimally invasive technique that meant better and faster healing. Today, 24 year old Mr Lu is happy to report clear vision in both eyes.

PATIENT CAREPatient care receives top priority at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC). The Centre was awarded the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation in December 2009, an international mark and endorsement for quality patient care and safety as well as organisational management.

SNEC is also known for its use of innovative technology to improve patient outcomes. In July 2009, SNEC introduced the KAMRA Corneal Inlay treatment for presbyopia, an age related condition that reduces the ability of the eye to focus on near objects. The KAMRA Corneal Inlay is a ring, smaller and lighter than a contact lens, that is implanted in the cornea to reduce the aperture. The outpatient procedure takes less than 20 minutes, requires no stitches and uses ‘bladeless’ Lasik technology. The procedure also has minimum impact on distance vision.

Some of SNEC’s innovations are home-grown.Prof Donald Tan, SNEC’s medical director, developed a new tool for handling corneal transplants. The Tan Endoglide involves folding the cornea in a special way that reduces cell damage that typically results from the usual approach, which is to roll the cornea. The Tan Endoglide also reduces damage to cells when the donated cornea is unfolded after it is inserted into the eye.

Thanks to the Tan Endoglide, damage to cells can be reduced from 35 per cent by the previous method to about 7 per cent. This tool is also more suitable for Asian eyes which tend to be smaller than Caucasian eyes. The Tan Endoglide has been approved for use around the world.

2009 was a good year for Singapore National Eye Centre!

SNEC became the fi rst eye institution in Singapore to achieve the Joint Commission International accreditation. This international endorsement for quality patient careand safety, and organisational management enhances our quality service initiatives developed over the years, as we become more patient-centric. This achievement isalso a testament to the dedication and teamwork of our staff.

On the research front, both SNEC and our research arm, Singapore Eye ResearchInstitute continue to advance ophthalmology while working hand-in-hand; seamlessly bringing treatments from bench to bedside for a growing number of patients both locallyand the region. Clinician scientists from SERI and SNEC have made us and the SingHealth family proud by receiving the inaugural President’s Science Award for their work treating corneal diseases, which in the process improved outcomes of corneal transplants.

We have introduced novels ways of educating the community on preventable blindnessby bringing our annual mass eye screening programmes to the heartlands, in partnership with voluntary and grassroots organisations such as the Lions clubs and the DiabeticSociety of Singapore.

We will continue to press forward as a team and make the coming year an evenmore fruitful one.”

Professor Donald Tan

Medical Director, Singapore National Eye Centre

“

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EDUCATIONSNEC takes its obligations to train and educate seriously. Medical staff at SNEC regularly meet with family physicians to update them on the latest treatment options in diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and other eye conditions. The sessions are also opportunities to understand the needs of family physicians when they care for patients with eye problems.

Internally, SNEC also promotes education among its non-medical staff. The emphasis is on customer service programmes with the aim of developing a more patient-focused culture. One such programme is the S@W or ‘Sharing and application of service excellence tips @ Work”

The key objective of the S@W is to facilitate a learning and application framework for our staff to apply what they have learnt in customer service workshops. It also serves as an interactive learning process for all who have attended the workshops to recapitulate the key learning deliverables. The three learning points are: the area of infl uence in every concern, the importance of touchpoints in customer interaction and managing customer expectations to create positive service experiences.

RESEARCHSNEC has a strong track record in research. In September 2009, a team from SNEC and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) weregiven the President’s Science Award foroutstanding contributions in translational,clinical and epidemiological corneal research.

The team, comprising SNEC medical director Prof Donald Tan, Prof Roger Beuerman and A/Prof Aung Tin, the head of Glaucoma Service, have been responsible for many pioneering discoveries and procedures. The trio were the fi rst in the world to grow human stem cells in a laboratory to produce conjunctival tissue. The tissue is grown from stem cells in the normal eye, then transplanted into the other eye to restore vision. The team also helped to develop the Tan Endoglide and helped to pioneer a complex two-stage operation to use a tooth to make and transplant an artifi cial cornea. The team also identifi ed the gene that causes congenital corneal blindness in babies. In 2006, they discovered and proved that contaminated ReNu contact lens cleaning solution was responsible for fungal corneal infections. That discovery led to the withdrawal of the product and thus prevented a global outbreak of infections that could have left thousands blinded.

Continuing their embrace of innovation, SERI launched the Singapore Advanced Imaging Laboratory for Ocular Research (SAILOR) together with A*STAR’s Institute of Infocomm Research in March 2010. This laboratory will give clinicians and researchers a non-invasive way to identify and monitor brain, heart and kidney diseases by examining retinal blood vessels. The service will be offered at several polyclinics.

The world seemed to be vanishing for Mr Ng Bang Kok (seated), who is in is 40s. He developed a detached retina dueto complications from diabetes. He went for surgery, but that failed because of internal bleeding. Mr Ng then consultedDr Doric Wong, Senior Consultant and Head of the Vitreo-Retina Service. This time, with Dr Wong operating, the surgerywas successful and Mr Ng is once again enjoying good vision.

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The Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) is the research arm of SNEC as well as other eye institutes in Singapore. SERI is currently doing a study on eye diseases found in local racial groups. With the fi ndings, the Institute hopes to plan and tailor a suite of prevention, screening and treatment programmes for each racial group.

Last year, SERI’s research into ethnic Indians in Singapore revealed that two in fi ve suffer from low vision or blindness in at least one eye and that the leading cause of low vision among this group is cataracts and under-corrected refractive errors.

The study also showed that one in three Indians polled suffered from diabetes and thus were at a higher risk of eye disease.

A study of Singapore’s Chinese population has begun and is expected to be completed by 2011. SERI had previous studied the Malay population in Singapore and discovered that one in six had bad vision with a third of them having cataracts.

OUR PEOPLEDr Ian Yeo, a Senior Consultant at SNEC, has been appointed Head of Training and Education. His appointment is timely as it marks a pivotal change in the way education is conducted in SNEC. Education is one of the 3 pillars of SNEC, the others being Clinical Service and Research. The Centre looks to a new and dynamic team to lead the development of various medical programmes at all levels. This coincides with the new strategy of the Ministry of Health. From the current British-styled system, we will adapt to the new US Residency Program under the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education International system (ACGME-I).

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTIn October 2009, SNEC partnered with the Lions Clubs of Singapore to organise the Lions World Sight Day at Kampong Kembangan Community Club. Eye screening and educational talks were held.

In November 2009, SNEC worked with the DiabeticSociety of Singapore to celebrate the 10th NationalEye Care Day and World Diabetes Day Singapore. Free eye checks, health screenings and talks were held at Bishan Community Club. SNEC has embraced SingHealth Foundation’s Arts for Health programme and kicked it off with a three-day programme in 2010. It involved performances by artistes from Musical Theatre Limited as well as a guzheng performance by Malay nurse Mohd Faizal.

Various works of art, using different media, were also exhibited around SNEC. The aim of the programme is to enhance the physical, emotional and social well-being of patients, visitors and staff.


Workload per annumDay Surgeries 26,527 24,831Specialist Outpatient Clinic Attendances 260,372 249,800



AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Patient CareMOH Nurses’ Merit Award 2009Loh Huey Peng, Chitra Vallei Govindasamy

EducationAmerican Academy of OphthalmologyAchievement AwardAdj A/Prof Jodhbir Mehta, A/Prof Saw Seang Mei

ResearchPresident’s Science Award 2009Prof Donald Tan, Prof Roger Beuerman, A/Prof Aung Tin

National Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist AwardAdj A/Prof Louis Tong

National University of Singapore Outstanding Researcher AwardProf Wong Tien Yin

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SINGHEALTH POLYCLINICS

Mr Lee Yang Chee (right), 50, has been seeing Dr Tan Chee Beng, Chief Executive Offi cer, SHP, at the Family Physician Clinic for the past fi ve years. Dr Tan has helped Mr Lee manage his chronic conditions through medication compliance and diet modifi cation. The Family Physician Clinic is an SHP programme to improve treatment outcomes for patients with chronic conditions.

PATIENT CAREImproving chronic disease management and elevating the standard of care has always been the guiding principle for SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP).

The positive treatment outcomes of the Family Physician Clinics have been much lauded by patients. To meet an increased patient demand to be seen by senior doctors trained in Family Medicine, SHP increased the number of Family Physician Clinic (FPC) sessions in 2009. The FPC attendances more than doubled within a year, reaching almost 20,000.

Another key initiative in elevating chronic disease care is the Nurse Clinician Service (NCS), where trained senior nurses partner doctors to manage patients with well-controlled chronic conditions. Since the full roll-out of NCS to all nine clinics in February 2009, patient attendances increased fi ve-fold, from nearly 900 in 2008 to more than 5,000 in 2009.

Clinical integration calls for effective coordination efforts between institutions. To this end, SHP has worked with Changi General Hospital and St. Andrew’s Community Hospital to provide clinical integrated care pathways for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hip fracture and stroke. Patients benefi t from the seamless care process whether they are seen in the primary care, tertiary care or community setting.

The SHP Medication Review Service, which comprises structured and critical examination of patients’ medication was piloted at SHP-Tampines in November 2009. Patients with medicine management issues were referred for one-to-one session with pharmacists to increase patient compliance to medication, minimise the number of medication-related problems, and ultimately improve management of patients’ conditions. A full roll-out of this service at all nine clinics will be completed by October 2010.

2009 has been an eventful year for SHP.

SHP adopted a multi-pronged strategy to improve chronic disease care and treatment outcomes. We continue to scale up our Family Physician Clinic and Nurse Clinician Service so that more patients can benefi t from these services. At the same time, the medication review service was restructured to better educate patients on their medication, and ultimately achieve improved treatment outcomes.

SHP embarked on its Joint Commission International (JCI) journey to align with best practices for better and safer patient care. We also continued to improve our care for patients – for two years in a row, the top spot for overall satisfaction in the Ministry of Health Patient Satisfaction Survey was clinched by one of our clinics.

All this was achieved even as the year was marked by the H1N1-2009 fl u pandemic where healthcare institutions had to react swiftly to the evolving fl u situation.

We will continue to invest in our core asset – our staff – as well as strengthen our research to improve clinical standards in primary care. Providing what’s best for our patients and the community will spur us in our future endeavours.”

Dr Tan Chee Beng

Chief Executive Offi cer, SingHealth Polyclinics

“

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SHP posted its clinical indicators performance on its website in January 2010. These indicators are on diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia – conditions that are commonly managed at the polyclinics. The indicators and the accompanying information on disease management are useful to SHP patients and the community.

SHP piloted its payment kiosk in October 2009 atSHP-Outram, making it the fi rst restructured healthcare institution to provide such a service. Instead of queuing to pay at the payment counter, patients can choose to pay using NETS or a cashcard at the kiosk. As a result, waiting time is reduced by up to 30 minutes. SHP completed the rollout of payment kiosks at all of its nine polyclinics in March 2010.

Singapore’s smallest polyclinic, SHP-Marine Parade, emerged top for overall satisfaction in the Ministry of Health’s Annual Patient Satisfaction Survey 2009. The award was credited to the clinic’s staff dedication and a major renovation that improved patients’ experience.

Another key accolade was won by SHP-Pasir Ris in September 2009, when it became the fi rst polyclinic to clinch the “Best Project” award at the MOH Clinical Quality Improvement Conference. Their project, “Improving Blood Pressure Control for Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases in SHP-Pasir Ris” increased the number of patients treated to target from 53 per cent to nearly 70 per cent. In addition, the SHP-Tampines team won the Merit Award with their project on improving the use of Written Asthma Action Plans at the same conference.

During the H1N1-2009 fl u pandemic last year, SHP showed its resilience through measures such as setting up segregated fl u clinics and the speedy rollout of a new patient management software, Acute Care Module, to handle the spike in patient volume.

EDUCATIONSHP is a recognised training centre for Family Medicine. Last year saw the fi rst batch of students from the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore starting their Family Medicine clerkship. Four SHP Consultant Family Physicians were appointed as Adjunct Assistant Professors to Duke-NUS. In addition, 11 experienced family physicians were appointed as preceptors to assist in training the Duke-NUS medical students at the polyclinics.

Every year, fi ve batches of more than 30 students per batch from the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine are posted to our clinics to learn the principles of Family Medicine as part of their community health rotations. At the polyclinics, students are involved in sit-in sessions with the supervisor and also rotated to several service points in the clinics.

In July last year, SingHealth announced the formalisation of SingHealth’s Humanitarian Relief Programme and also launched the Medical Relief Mission Handbook, which was authored by SHP doctors. This guide contains symptoms and treatment options for common post-disaster conditions as well as tips on how to prepare emotionally for missions.

Two registered nurses, Nurse Clinician Lian Lay Geok and Senior Staff Nurse De Roza Jacqueline Giovanna, attended the 18-month Master of Nursing course and graduated in June 2010. After a one-year internship mentored by senior doctors, they can apply to be certifi ed as Advanced Practice Nurses, enhancing the role of nursing in SHP.

In January 2010, SingHealth signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fujian Provincial Health Bureau to share SHP’s management experience with 110 community healthcare management personnel and trainers from China’s Fujian province over two years. These trainers will return to Fujian to conduct training lessons for more than 5,500 clinicians and nurses there.


For the past four years, Mohd Jufri Bin Mohd Sharif, 55, has been seeing the doctors and nurses at Bukit Merah Polyclinicto manage his chronic conditions. At the Family Physician Clinic, Senior Staff Nurse Janet Fong gives advice and guidanceto Mr Jufri on diet and lifestyle changes to improve his health. Lending a listening ear and providing friendly counsellinghave helped to make a difference.

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In February 2010, SHP held a Combined Polyclinics Quality Forum for the second time with National Healthcare Group Polyclinics. Senior clinicians from both clusters shared information and experiences at the forum, which was attended by 500 staff from both clusters.

RESEARCHSenior Family Physician Dr Joanne Quah secured funding of more than $30,000 from the SingHealth Foundation Health Services Research Grant to look into mental health of the elderly. Her research, titled “Prevalence Perception and Barriers to Care of Depression among Geriatric Primary Care Patients in Singapore” started in May 2009 and will end by March 2011.

In 2009, there were a total of nine research projects, on topics such as common childhood illnesses and other primary care conditions. Three doctors presented their projects at local and international conferences. SHP was proud that two of its projects were published in the Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore and the Singapore Medical Journal.

SHP training centre, PRIME, held a Qualitative Research Workshop over two days in January 2010 on the practical and theoretical methods of conducting clinical research.

OUR PEOPLEAs part of talent grooming, SHP supports staff to pursue further studies. Senior Consultant Family Physician Dr Tan Ngiap Chuan and Senior Family Physician Dr Joanne Quah have joined the pioneer batch of seven students to take the Masters of Clinical Investigation course under the Ministry of Health scholarship. Their two-year course ended in July 2010 while Senior Family Physician Dr Andrew Wee started his course in 2009.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTAs part of the annual SHP outreach programme and the SingHealth’s President’s Challenge 2009, SHP staff played games with, and distributed goodie bags to the 300 residents of the Bethany Methodist Nursing Homes in November 2009. The programme included balloon sculpting demonstrations, light exercises and a sing-along-session.

Separately, SHP raised more than $12,000 in donations for the benefi ciaries of the President’s Challenge 2009.


Workload per annumPolyclinic Attendances 1,610,752 1,606,259Dental Attendances 27,910 30,471Dental Procedures 55,339 57,473

Staffi ng (as at end Mar)Total 860 809 Doctors 128 106 Dentists 11 12 Nurses 262 248 Allied Health Professionals 128 120 Dental Surgery Assistants 11 12 Others 320 311


AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Patient CareExcellent Service Awards 2009128 staff – 24 Star, 45 Gold, 59 Silver

MOH Annual Patient Satisfaction Survey 2009SHP-Marine Parade clinched top spot for“Overall Satisfaction”

MOH Nurses’ Day Merit Award 2009Norizah Bte Samad, Wong Mei Poh

6th National Clinical Quality Improvement Poster CompetitionBEST PROJECT“Improving Blood Pressure Control for Patientswith Cardiovascular Diseases in SHP-Pasir Ris” by Jasmine Heng, Lawrence Liu, Dr Tan Ngiap Chuan, Dr Ian Phoon, Dr Tan Keah Kee, Diana Bte Mohamed Yusoff, Quek Ai Khuan, Saroja Devi Suppiah

MERIT AWARD“80% of Asthma Patients attending Tampines Polyclinic are Provided with an Updated Written Asthma Action Plan at every vist of asthma within 6 months” by Dr Ng Lai Peng, Markus Ng, Vera Ang

SingHealth Clinical Practice Improvement ProgrammeBEST PROJECT“Improving Blood Pressure Control for Patientswith Cardiovascular Diseases in SHP-Pasir Ris” by Jasmine Heng, Lawrence Liu, Dr Tan Ngiap Chuan,Dr Ian Phoon, Dr Tan Keah Kee, Diana Bte Mohamed Yusoff, Quek Ai Khuan, Saroja Devi Suppiah

MERIT AWARD“All Active CVD Patients in Bukit Merah Polyclinicwill have Annual Panel Test done within the next6 months” by Tang Siew Cheng, Tina Phua, Mok Ziying

National Day Awards 2009 (Effi ciency)Fong Lai Chue

National Day Awards 2009 (Long Service)Lee Yoke Yin, Lau Siew Meng, Ng Chiat Eng, Chee Ai Heng, Esah Binte Mohamed Din, Lee Ai Kiow, Aw Wee Lee, Loh Oi Pheng, Tan Thiam Hock, Kee Hwi Keng, Jahara Binti Abu Bakar, Tan Chew Ngoh, Pok Siok Tin, Zainab Binte Ibrahim, Kwok Yue Kong, Lau Kiang Poo

EducationSingHealth-Lee Foundation Nursing AwardRohanah Bte Pagi, Aysha Beevi Abdul Rahman

ResearchAnnals Academy of Medicine Singapore – June 2009“Acceptance of Information and Communication Technologies for Healthcare Delivery: A SingHealth Polyclinics Study” authored by Dr Tay Ee Guan,co-authored by Nan Luo, Woon-Puay Koh,Wai-Yee Ng, Joachim Wen-Kien Yau, Lian-Kiat Lim, Samuel Syn-Pin Sim

Singapore Medical Journal – June 2009 “Factors infl uencing family physicians’ drug prescribing behaviour in asthma management in primary care” authored by Dr Tan Ngiap Chuan, co-authored by Tay Ing Hua, Agnes Ngoh, Marina Tan

96 97 /

DIRECTORS, CHAIRMAN & OFFICERS

99 Board of Directors

104 Chief Executive Offi cers Chairmen, Medical Boards Directors of National Specialty Centres

105 Singhealth Corporate Offi ce Directors

ALL IN ALL

Peter SEAH Lim HuatCHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Chairman, Staff Committee

A senior banking veteran who retired as Vice Chairman and

CEO of OUB Pte Ltd in 2001, Mr Seah joined the SingHealth

Board in October 2008 and was appointed Chairman in

April 2009. Currently, Mr Seah is a member of Temasek

Advisory Panel and Chairman of DBS Bank Ltd and Singapore

Technologies Engineering Ltd. He is also Deputy Chairman

& Director of CapitaLand Limited, Fullerton Financial

Holdings Pte Ltd, Singapore Technologies Telemedia Pte Ltd

and Global Crossing Limited. Mr Seah serves as Director

of several local and international companies including

the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation

Pte Ltd, StarHub Ltd and Bank of China Limited. Mr Seah

currently sits on the boards of the Defence Science

and Technology Agency, LaSalle Foundation Limited and

the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 98 99 /

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ernest WONG Yuen WengBOARD MEMBER

Chairman, Risk Oversight

Committee

Member, Budget &

Investment Committee

Mr Wong joined the board

in April 2006. He started

his career in 1967 with the

Economic Development

Board and Ministry of

Finance before joining United

Overseas Bank in 1972. He

was appointed President of

UOB from 1990 to 2000 and

then joined MediaCorp as

Group CEO until 2005. He

is currently Chairman of

Invida Group Pte Ltd, Invida

Pharmaceutical Holdings Pte

Ltd, and Member of Temasek

Advisory Panel. Mr Wong also

sits on the boards of Nanyang

Technological University,

SingBridge International

Singapore Pte Ltd, Precious

Treasure Pte Ltd and Fullerton

Financial Holdings Pte Ltd.

Michael B. WOOD, M.D.BOARD MEMBER

Member, Research Committee

Member, Risk Oversight

Committee

SUM Soon Lim BOARD MEMBER

Chairman, Audit Committee


Committee

Mrs Arfat SELVAMBOARD MEMBER

Member, Audit Committee


Committee

A physician and orthopedic

surgeon by training, Dr Wood

joined the board in April 2006.

Dr Wood is the former CEO

of Mayo Clinic, USA and the

current President Emeritus

of the Mayo Foundation,

USA, since 2003, as well

as Professor of Orthopedic

Surgery in Mayo Clinic, USA

since July 1989. Dr Wood is

also Director of two publicly

listed healthcare sector

companies in the USA.

Mr Sum served on SingHealth

Board from April 2000 till

April 2010. He served on

the board of the National

University Hospital from

1998 to 2000. An ex-banker,

Mr Sum is Chairman of Times

Development Pte Ltd and

Cathay International Holdings

Ltd. He is also Director of

Singapore Technologies

Telemedia Pte Ltd and

Singapore Press Holdings.

Mrs Selvam joined the board

in April 2006. The Managing

Director of Arfat Selvam

Alliance LLC, Mrs Selvam was

admitted as an Advocate

and Solicitor of the Supreme

Court of Singapore in 1969

and is a corporate lawyer.

She was President of the Law

Society of Singapore in 2003.

Mrs Selvam currently serves

on the boards of several

organisations including

CapitaLand Limited and the

Breast Cancer Foundation.

CHAN Heng KeeBOARD MEMBER

Member, Staff Committee

Member, IT Committee

Mrs Christina ONGBOARD MEMBER

Chairman, Service Excellence

Committee

Member, Property Committee

Dr BEH Swan Gin BOARD MEMBER

Chairman, Budget &


Member, Research Committee

Prof Edward W HOLMESBOARD MEMBER

Chairman,

Research Committee

Mr Chan joined the board in

May 2006. He is currently the

Chief Executive and Board

Member of the Singapore

Workforce Development

Agency. Prior to his current

appointments, Mr Chan

served as Deputy Secretary

(Development), Public

Service Division (PSD),

Prime Minister’s Offi ce and

concurrently Chief Executive

Offi cer and Dean of the Civil

Service College. Mr Chan

also sits on the board of

IDA International Pte Ltd

and is actively involved

with educational institutes

such as SIM University

and Northlight School.

Mrs Ong was appointed to

the board in April 2006. She

presently serves as Chairman

of the National Parks

Board. Managing Director of

Singapore’s upmarket Club

21 fashion empire, Mrs Ong

is well known as a fashion

entrepreneur and high-end

hotelier with the Como

brand of hotels, resorts and

spas. She was awarded

the Cavaliere Award by

the Italian Government

and Italian Fashion Hall

of Fame Award in 1995.

Dr Beh served on the board

from April 2006 till April 2010.

A trained doctor who has held

various appointments within

the Singapore Economic

Development Board, Dr Beh

was appointed the Managing

Director on 1 August 2008. He

was also Executive Director

of A*STAR’s Biomedical

Research Council from

October 2006 to January

2008. He currently sits on

the Board of Directors for

International Enterprise

Singapore and A*STAR, as

well as on the Advisory

Board for the Lee Kong

Chian School of Business in

the Singapore Management

University. He is also a

Trustee of the Singapore

Institute of Technology.

A highly regarded physician-

scientist, Professor Holmes

joined the board in December

2007. He is currently Deputy

Chairman for the Translational

and Clinical Sciences Group

at A*STAR’s Biomedical

Research Council. Prof Holmes

is also Executive Chairman

of the National Medical

Research Council. Prior to

these appointments he

was the Vice Chancellor for

Health Sciences and Dean,

School of Medicine, at the

University of California,

San Diego. He has held senior

leadership appointments in

some of the best universities

in the US and plays a major

international leadership

role, serving on numerous

universities, industrial, and

national advisory boards.

100 101 /

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Willie CHENG Jue HiangBOARD MEMBER

Chairman, IT Committee

Member, Budget &


YATIMAN YusofBOARD MEMBER

Member, Service Excellence

Committee


Committee

Mr Cheng joined the

SingHealth Board in April

2009. He retired as managing

partner of Accenture

Singapore in 2003 and

is currently a director of

Integrated Health Information

Systems Pte Ltd, the IT

subsidiary of MOH Holdings

Pte Ltd. He sits on the boards

of Singapore Press Holdings

and NTUC Fairprice. Active

in the non-profi t sector, he

serves on the boards of

councils of several civic and

charitable organisations.

A former Member of

Parliament and Senior

Parliamentary Secretary

who retired from politics in

2007, Mr Yatiman joined the

SingHealth Board in April

2009. He sits on the board of

the National Parks Board, and

is actively involved with the

Singapore Scouts Association

and the Malay Language

Council. He also serves

as Board Member of the

National Kidney Foundation.

Dr Victor J DZAUBOARD MEMBER

Member,

Research Committee

Dr Dzau joined the board

in October 2008. He is

the Chancellor for Health

Affairs at Duke University

and President and CEO of

the Duke University Health

System. Prior to joining

Duke, Dr Dzau had worked

for notable institutions

including Harvard Medical

School, Brigham and

Women’s Hospital and

Stanford University. With

an academic interest in

cardiovascular translational

research and mission-

based education, he is

the recipient of many

awards and serves on

numerous committees and

advisory boards including

the National Institutes

of Health in the US.

Ms YONG Ying-IBOARD MEMBER


Ms Yong joined the board

in October 2008. Ms Yong is

Permanent Secretary of the

Ministry of Health, responsible

for developing health services

in Singapore. Concurrent

with her role as Permanent

Secretary of the Health

Ministry, Ms Yong is Chairman

of MOH Holdings, which

holds the assets of the public

sector healthcare institutions

in Singapore. She is also

Chairman of the Infocomm

Development Authority of

Singapore. Ms Yong serves

on the boards of Singapore

Symphony Orchestra,

Singapore Totalisator Board

and the Civil Service College.

During her civil service

career, Ms Yong has served

in the Ministries of Finance,

Trade & Industry, Home

Affairs, Communications

& IT, Manpower, and was

Principal Private Secretary

to then-Deputy Prime

Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Philip ENG Heng NeeBOARD MEMBER

Member, Audit Committee

Member, Property Committee

Prof Raj Mohan NAMBIARBOARD MEMBER



Committee

Gerard EE Hock KimBOARD MEMBER


Member, Service

Excellence Committee

Mr Eng joined the SingHealth

Board in April 2009. He is

Non-Executive Chairman

of mDR Limited and Deputy

Chairman of MCL Land

Limited and Hup Soon

Global Corporation Ltd. He is

Director of several local and

regional companies including

NTUC Income, Chinese

Development Assistance

Council, OpenNet Pte Ltd.,

The Hour Glass Ltd and Hektar

Asset Management Sdn Bhd.

Mr Eng is also Singapore’s

Ambassador to Greece

and High Commissioner to

Cyprus. He spent 23 years

with the Jardine Cycle &

Carriage Group before

retiring in February 2005 as

Group Managing Director.

Professor Nambiar joined

the SingHealth Board in

April 2009. A surgeon for

more than 40 years, he

is Visiting Consultant to

Singapore General, Tan Tock

Seng, Changi General and

Alexandra Hospitals and

Senior Consultant with the

Ministry of Health. He is also

Clinical Professor, National

University of Singapore and

Emeritus Consultant, Changi

General Hospital. Actively

involved in postgraduate

medical training, he currently

serves as Member of the

Specialist Accreditation Board

under the Ministry of Health.

Professor Nambiar served as

President of the Singapore

Medical Council until 2008.

Mr Ee joined the SingHealth

Board in April 2009. An

accountant, Mr Ee practised

as an Auditor and retired

as a partner of Ernst &

Young in 2005. Mr Ee is

Chairman of the National

Kidney Foundation and

also chairs the Medifund

Advisory Council. Mr Ee is

active in the fi eld of social

service and chairs a range of

social service organisations

and programmes.

102 103 /

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, CHAIRMEN, MEDICAL BOARDS AND DIRECTORS OF NATIONAL SPECIALTY CENTRES

Prof TAN Ser KiatGROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

SingHealth

Prof Ivy NGDEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

SingHealth

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Prof SOO Khee CheeDEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Research and Education

SingHealth

DIRECTOR

National Cancer Centre Singapore

Prof ANG Chong LyeDEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Clinical Services

SingHealth

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Singapore General Hospital

T K UDAIRAMCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Changi General Hospital

Prof NG Han SeongCHAIRMAN

Medical Board


A/Prof Kenneth KWEKCHAIRMAN

Medical Board

KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

A/Prof LOW Cheng OoiCHAIRMAN

Medical Board


CHIEF MEDICAL INFORMATICS OFFICER

SingHealth

Dr KWA Chong TeckEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

National Dental Centre Singapore

A/Prof KOH Tian HaiMEDICAL DIRECTOR

National Heart Centre Singapore

Prof LEE Wei LingDIRECTOR

National Neuroscience Institute

Prof Donald TANMEDICAL DIRECTOR

Singapore National Eye Centre

Dr TAN Chee BengCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

SingHealth Polyclinics

Prof TAY Boon KengCHAIRMAN

Medical Board (International)

SingHealth

CORPORATE OFFICE DIRECTORS

SIA Kheng HongGROUP CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Dr WONG Yue SieGROUP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (deceased 28 May 2010)

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER and CHAIRMAN,

Division of Ambulatory and Clinical Support Services,


Ms Anna FOKGROUP DIRECTOR, Human Resource (till 30 Sep 2010)

Dr Edwin LOW Cheng TeeGROUP DIRECTOR, Offi ce of Academic Medicine

GROUP DIRECTOR, Strategic Human Resource (wef 1 Oct 2010)

VISITING CONSULTANT, Hyperbaric & Diving

Medicine Centre, Singapore General Hospital

Prof Colin SONGGROUP DIRECTOR, Education

HEAD, Dept of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery,


Prof FONG Kok YongGROUP DIRECTOR, Clinical Research

CHAIRMAN, Division of Medicine, Singapore General Hospital

Prof TEH Bin TeanGROUP DIRECTOR, Translational Research

DIRECTOR, NCCS-Van Andel Research Institute

Translational Research Program

A/Prof LIM Swee HiaGROUP DIRECTOR OF NURSING

NURSING DIRECTOR, Singapore General Hospital

and National Heart Centre Singapore

Prof FOCK Kwong MingCHIEF RISK OFFICER

SENIOR CONSULTANT, Dept of Gastroenterology & Medicine,


A/Prof LOW Cheng OoiCHIEF MEDICAL INFORMATICS OFFICER

CHAIRMAN, Medical Board, Changi General Hospital

Mrs CHNG Wong YinGROUP CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

TAN Jack ThianGROUP CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital

Mrs TAN-HUANG Shuo MeiGROUP DIRECTOR, Communications and Service Quality,

SingHealth and Singapore General Hospital

A/Prof Daphne KHOODIRECTOR, Clinical Governance & Quality Management

HEAD, Department of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital

Dr LEE Ee LianDIRECTOR, Medical Manpower

SENIOR CONSULTANT, Department of Psychiatry,


A/Prof OOI Choon JinDIRECTOR, Strategic Manpower Development

HEAD, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology,


Ms YONG Seow KinDIRECTOR, Facilities Development

Ms Elizabeth CHOODIRECTOR, Legal

LEE Ah SanDIRECTOR, Group Internal Audit (till 31 March 2010)

CHUA Puay HianDIRECTOR, Business Development

Ms QUAY Keng WahDIRECTOR, Planning & Performance

104 105 /

FY09 FY08 CHANGE year ended 31 Mar 2010 year ended 31 Mar 2009

SIZEBed Complement (as at end Mar) 3,321 3,331 -0.3%Beds in Service 3,163 3,102 2.0%

WORKLOAD PER ANNUMBed Occupancy Rate 78.4% 80.4% -2.0%ptsInpatient Admissions 184,555 184,990 -0.2%Inpatient Discharges 184,674 185,189 -0.3%Total Patient Days 904,969 910,441 -0.6%Average Length of Stay (days) 4.9 4.9 -Total Surgical Operations 205,230 203,275 1.0% Day Surgeries 128,517 125,457 2.4% Inpatient Surgeries 76,713 77,818 -1.4%Specialist Outpatient Clinic Attendances 2,050,396 2,039,222 0.5%Accident & Emergency Attendances 456,152 431,775 5.6%Dental Attendances 193,640 200,124 -3.2%Dental Procedures 224,607 220,209 2.0%Polyclinic Attendances 1,610,752 1,606,259 0.3%

STAFFING (AS AT END MAR)Total 17,584 16,139 Doctors 2,121 1,978 Dentists 98 90 Nurses 7,219 6,441 Allied Health Professionals 2,560 2,245 Dental Surgery Assistants 66 70 Others 5,520 5,316


KEY FIGURES

FY09 FY08 year ended 31 Mar 2010 year ended 31 Mar 2009 (S$ million) (S$ million)

ASSETS BY MAJOR CATEGORIES Plant and Equipment 486 418 Trade and Other Receivables 330 296 Other Assets 852 662 Total 1,668 1,376 LIABILITIES BY MAJOR CATEGORIES Trade and Other Payables 643 516 Other Current Liabilities 85 56 Non Current Liabilities 388 265 Total 1,116 837 CAPITAL/RESERVES BY MAJOR CATEGORIES Share Capital 460 460 Reserves 92 79 Total 552 539 REVENUE BREAKDOWN BY MAJOR CATEGORIES Patient Revenue 1,065 986 Subvention 1,055 907 Other Revenue 274 225 Total 2,394 2,118 EXPENDITURE BY MAJOR CATEGORIES Manpower 1,310 1,132Supplies and Consumables 385 358 Other Operating Expenses 583 530 Depreciation and Amortisation 106 96 Total 2,384 2,116

FINANCIAL INFORMATION 106 107 /

DIRECTORY

2 Simei Street 3, Singapore 529889 Tel +65 6788 8833 Fax +65 6788 0933 www.cgh.com.sg

SINGAPORE HEALTH SERVICES PTE LTD31 Third Hospital Avenue, #03-03 Bowyer Block C, Singapore 168753Tel +65 6225 0488 Fax +65 6557 2138www.singhealth.com.sgReg No 200002698 Z

HOSPITALS NATIONAL SPECIALTY CENTRES

11 Hospital Drive, Singapore 169610 Tel +65 6436 8000 Fax +65 6225 6283 www.nccs.com.sg

11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore 308433 Tel +65 6357 7153 Fax +65 6256 4755 www.nni.com.sg

PRIMARY HEALTHCARE

167 Jalan Bukit Merah, Tower 5 #15-10 Singapore 150167 Tel +65 6236 4800 Fax +65 6274 9901 polyclinic.singhealth.com.sg

Bedok, Bukit Merah, Geylang,Marine Parade, Outram, Pasir Ris, Queenstown, Sengkang and Tampines

100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 229899 Tel +65 6293 4044 Fax +65 6293 7933 www.kkh.com.sg

5 Second Hospital Avenue, Singapore 168938 Tel +65 6324 8910 Fax +65 6324 8810 www.ndc.com.sg

11 Third Hospital Avenue, Singapore 168751 Tel +65 6227 7255 Fax +65 6227 7290 www.snec.com.sg

Outram Road, Singapore 169608 Tel +65 6222 3322 Fax +65 6224 9221 www.sgh.com.sg

Mistri Wing 17, Third Hospital Avenue Singapore 168752 Tel +65 6436 7800 Fax +65 6227 3562 www.nhcs.com.sg

PARTNER IN ACADEMIC MEDICINE

8 College Road, Singapore 169857 Tel +65 6516 7666Email: [email protected]

An Epigram design and production

singhealth annual report 2009

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