28 September 2007
SingHealth leads the way in engaging mature staff in healthcare sector
- Pioneering Silver Connection programme marks achievements at first anniversary celebrations

Singapore, 28 September 2007 - SingHealth, Singapore’s largest public healthcare group, is making headway in rehiring its retired staff and promoting the employability of its mature staff, ahead of the Government’s plan to put in place a law by 2012 that requires companies to offer their employees a chance to work beyond their retirement age of 62.

About 70 per cent of SingHealth staff who have reached retirement age have continued to work in its nine institutions. The healthcare group is well on its way to achieving its long-term goal of re-employing at least 80 per cent of its staff after their retirement.

This is due in no small part to SingHealth’s efforts through its Silver Connection (银色联盟) programme, which marked its first anniversary at a celebration event this morning.

Silver Connection making good progress

Believed to be the first such initiative in the healthcare industry, Silver Connection was launched last September to engage SingHealth’s mature staff with a view to enhance their employability as they grow with the organisation.

Guided by the ethos of “Renew, Refresh, Rewire, not Retire”, Silver Connection’s multi-pronged approach has produced a healthy first-year report card (please see Annex A for the progress made in the various programme initiatives).

Silver Connection receiving industry recognition

For its foresight in investing resources in mature staff, SingHealth took home the Best Mature Workforce Practices Award at the HRM Awards 2007. This is an affirmation of the organisation being a first mover in innovative HR practices.

"The healthcare sector has the potential to provide lifelong careers. Age brings experience and expertise that are not easily replaceable. In SingHealth, we value our mature staff who have spent most of their professional lives with us. They bring valuable experience and wisdom, and are inspiring role models for younger staff. In light of a rapidly ageing workforce, we consciously adjust our employment practices so that the organisation can optimise on the experience of our mature staff, while at the same time help them find fulfilment as they continue working," said Mrs Karen Koh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SingHealth.

Indeed, with its fast greying 14,000-strong workforce (18 per cent above 50 years old), Silver Connection paves the way for SingHealth to effectively engage its mature staff and retirees whom it values.

"Through Silver Connection, aside from actively reconnecting with our retired staff, what we are doing is to encourage our people to prepare well for re-employment beyond retirement, and possibly look into retraining for new roles. We believe this is a win-win situation for SingHealth and our mature staff, who can still make great contributions to the organisation," added Mrs Koh.

Moving forward, recognising that its staff will be working longer, SingHealth is taking steps to build a multi-generation workforce, of which the diversity and strengths of each generation are respected and harnessed. The focus will be on bringing the young and mature staff together, ensuring a healthy dependence and greater appreciation of one another.

Silver Connection celebrating first anniversary

SingHealth staff, spanning different generations, joined hands in celebrating Silver Connection’s first anniversary at a party this morning, which was graced by Minister for Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan as the Guest-of-Honour.

A group of 4 retired nurses in their 60s and 70s put up a humourous skit that depicted how they picked up new skills when assigned to work on different projects through Silver Connection. Another group of staff from across SingHealth performed a dance with a message on how the young and old could learn from one another. As a show of appreciation, Mr Khaw also presented tokens to the more than 50 mature staff who had contributed actively to Silver Connection.

Ending the celebrations on a high note, SingHealth staff sang the specially written theme song for Silver Connection, "Seasons of Life".

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Annex A

First-year report card on Silver Connection initiatives

A) Reconnecting with retirees
- SingHealth has set up a database to stay in touch with retirees. It is populated with data on individuals with the right skills-set who can be employed on a part-time or project basis, thus creating a contingent workforce to help fill manpower needs in SingHealth institutions when required.

- This database has grown over the year from a mere 60 to 250 such individuals, who include former nurses, allied health professionals and administrators.

- Since its launch, Silver Connection has successfully matched over 20 per cent of these retirees to project and part-time work, and also contract employment.

B) Placing retirees in short and long-term projects
- Retired nurses and allied health professionals with experience in research work were assigned to conduct healthcare surveys with patients at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and SingHealth Polyclinics.

- Longer-term projects include training three retired nurses to approach patients at the SGH Diabetes Centre to transfer their cases to selected GPs, as part of SingHealth’s right-siting project. Two other retired nurses have been identified to go on a job-sharing basis to recruit candidates for a research project conducted by SGH and funded by the National Medical Research Council.

- The expertise of retiring and retired midwives is harnessed through the pilot Postnatal Home Care Programme launched in March this year, a partnership between SingHealth and South East Community Development Council. More than 20 of them received intensive refresher training and were deployed on home visits to new mothers recently discharged from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and SGH. In five months, 60 cases were successfully completed with positive feedback from the young parents.

C) Re-employing retirees
- Retired nurses and former administrators have been rehired on a contractual basis in positions like administrative assistant at SingHealth, coordinator at SGH’s Feedback Unit, and clinical coordinator at the National Cancer Centre.

- New jobs are also created to tap the experience of retired staff. For example, three retired nurses are appointed as Patient Relations Ambassadors at SGH to obtain patients’ feedback and look into ways to provide them with value-added services.

D) Motivating and engaging mature staff in SingHealth
- Personal Effectiveness Workshops are conducted by a certified external training provider, focusing on self-discovery, setting personal goals and preparing for career transition. To date, 23 runs of the workshops have benefited more than 440 mature staff.

- Close to 500 mature staff also attended 8 runs of a three-hour talk on Financial Planning, which introduces them to a sound financial management model that prepares them for financial independence beyond retirement.

- Participants gave the two programmes the thumbs-up, appreciating the valuable information and opportunity for self-reflection and re-discovery.

For media enquiries and interviews, please contact:

Ms Ong Shao Ying
Corporate Communications
Singapore Health Services
DID: 6557 4913
Email: ong.shao.ying@singhealth.com.sg

About Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)

SingHealth is the largest healthcare group in Singapore, offering a complete range of multi-disciplinary and integrated medical care. The group consists of 3 Hospitals, 5 National Specialty Centres, and a network of 9 polyclinics. We have a faculty of internationally qualified medical specialists and are also well equipped with advanced diagnostic and treatment medical technology. We are dedicated to providing quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible to our patients. Through clinical excellence, commitment, and collaboration, we aim to be the trusted leader in healthcare for our patients, partners, staff and the community.

Members of the SingHealth group:

Hospitals:
Changi General Hospital, KK Women's and Children's Hospital and Singapore General Hospital

National Specialty Centres:
National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre, National Heart Centre Singapore, National Neuroscience Institute, and Singapore National Eye Centre

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