official opening singhealthtower and outramcommunityhospital

24 January 2022

MEDIA RELEASE

OFFICIAL OPENING OF SINGHEALTH TOWER AND OUTRAM COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

· 19-storey SingHealth Tower and OCH house the SGH Campus’ first community hospital and key operational and support facilities that facilitate the delivery of care across the Campus

· OCH focuses on delivering person-centred care in a rehabilitative and sub-acute setting, and strengthening collaborations with healthcare and community partners for care beyond the hospital

Singapore, 24 January 2022 – Minister for Health, Mr Ong Ye Kung, officially opened the SingHealth Tower and Outram Community Hospital (OCH) today. Located on the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Campus with SGH and SingHealth’s national specialty centres, the building houses the Campus’ first community hospital, as well as administrative offices, and key operational and support facilities that facilitate the delivery of care. It has been progressively operational since the last quarter of 2019.

OCH, which is managed by SingHealth Community Hospitals, enables patients who require rehabilitative, sub-acute or palliative care to be seamlessly transferred from an acute care setting to the next step of their recovery journey.

The building houses a Campus Logistics Hub which supports the day-to-day operations of all SingHealth institutions on SGH Campus, as well as other supporting facilities and services such as a central kitchen, Environmental Services, and a Sterile Supplies Unit. Several outpatient clinics are also located there, such as the SGH Rehabilitation Centre, Orthopaedic Sports & Joint Centre and Sleep Centre. Part of the SingHealth HQ sits in the administrative wing of the building along with SGH and OCH staff, bringing the SingHealth family closer together under one roof.

The SingHealth Tower and OCH building is part of the Phase 1 redevelopment of the 20-year SGH Campus Masterplan, and a key pillar in SingHealth’s commitment to delivering a seamless continuum of care to patients and meeting our population’s healthcare needs.

“At SingHealth, we have the capabilities to look after the most complex conditions, integrate care for patients as they move from one setting to the next, and journey with them every step of the way. Our community hospitals play a crucial role in this, as they help patients transit from an acute care setting to rehabilitate and recover so that they can return home and back to the community. The opening of the SingHealth Tower and Outram Community Hospital heralds the start of a new chapter where we evolve in terms of healthcare infrastructure, keep pace with the way we provide care across the entire continuum, and establish the processes and physical support framework that will enable this transformation,” said Prof Ivy Ng, Group CEO, SingHealth.

The building is also one of two winners of the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Universal Design Mark Awards 2021, under the highest-tiered Platinum category which recognises the building’s remarkable development to incorporate user-friendly features. (Refer to Annex A for details of the building.)

Dedicated, seamless and holistic care
OCH, one of three Community Hospitals managed by SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH), provides continuing inpatient medical care for patients who require a longer period of recovery after receiving treatment at the acute hospital, and inpatient rehabilitation care to help patients reintegrate back home and in the community, as well as palliative care. This continuation of care offers patients an environment well-suited to their needs and focuses on their wellbeing and health goals.

“Since opening our doors in end 2019, our teams have been collaborating closely with the institutions on SGH Campus to ensure a seamless transfer of patients to our community hospital. This has resulted in shorter waiting times for patient transfers, patients being able to start their rehabilitation journey earlier in a less clinical environment and an overall shorter length of hospital stay for patients. We have also formed new partnerships with institutions on SGH campus to expand the pool of patients who can receive care at our hospital, and to free up bed capacity at SGH for patients who require more intensive care. I am proud of the team’s undeterred efforts to continuously strive for better outcomes for our patients even in the midst of coping with and adapting to the evolving pandemic situation,” said Ms Margaret Lee, CEO of SCH.

OCH also provides dedicated care for palliative and dementia patients to ensure that they receive quality and dignified care. By housing patients of similar conditions together in the same ward, the healthcare teams can focus on the care for these specific groups of patients and cater to their needs.

As part of its continuing efforts to bridge care into the community, SCH works closely with community partners to bring new initiatives and programmes into OCH to enhance patients’ psychosocial wellbeing as part of the Hospital’s holistic care approach. Being part of the SCH umbrella also means that the Hospital gets to leverage on existing partnerships and pilot programmes in the other two community hospitals, such as Social Prescribing, and the Reminiscence Therapy programme with the National Heritage Board to benefit patients. (Refer to Annex B for more details of these initiatives and partnerships.)

The SCH Social Prescribing programme, which won the Social Prescribing Network Awards in March 2021, allows patients to live well, be more independent and socially connected. Social prescribing enables healthcare professionals to refer patients to a Wellbeing Coordinator (WBC), who will co-design a non-clinical social prescription to improve their health and wellbeing. This involves having close conversations with patients to understand them as individuals before coming up with feasible suggestions that meet their needs and preferences. WBCs also link patients to community resources to meet patients’ healthcare and social needs.

With these initiatives and partnerships in place, SCH provides a holistic patient journey that starts from a patient’s transfer from an acute setting, and continues through a comprehensive and person-based rehabilitation, before patients return home with a solid community-aided discharge home.

About Singapore Health Services (SingHealth)
SingHealth, Singapore’s largest public healthcare cluster, is committed to providing affordable, accessible and quality healthcare to patients. With a network of acute hospitals, national specialty centres, polyclinics and community hospitals offering over 40 clinical specialties, it delivers comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and integrated care. Beyond hospital walls, SingHealth partners community care providers to enable patients to receive the right care close to their homes. As part of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, SingHealth also focuses on advancing education and research to continuously improve care outcomes for patients. For more information, please visit: www.singhealth.com.sg

Members of the SingHealth group

Hospitals (Tertiary Specialty Care):
Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Sengkang General Hospital and KK Women's and Children's Hospital,

National Specialty Centres (Tertiary Specialty Care):
National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Dental Centre Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, National Neuroscience Institute, and Singapore National Eye Centre

SingHealth Polyclinics (Primary Care):
Bedok, Bukit Merah, Marine Parade, Outram, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Sengkang, Tampines, Eunos and Tampines North (expected completion: 2022)

SingHealth Community Hospitals (Intermediate and Long-term Care):
Bright Vision Hospital, Sengkang Community Hospital, and Outram Community Hospital

About SingHealth Community Hospitals
SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) comprises Bright Vision Hospital, Outram Community Hospital and Sengkang Community Hospital, where the focus goes beyond healthcare to health as patients are provided with a homely environment to recuperate and take part in well-paced personalised care. As part of the SingHealth Regional Health System, SCH believes in working closely with community partners to allow patients to receive holistic and continued care during admission and after discharge.

Annex A
SINGHEALTH TOWER AND OUTRAM COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Site Location
The SingHealth Tower and Outram Community Hospital (OCH) building is located within the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Campus and easily accessible by public transport with the Outram Park MRT station located nearby.
Site Area
Total Floor Space: 149,003 sqm (about 20 football fields)
Total Plot Area: 17,276 sqm (about 2.5 football fields)
Rehab Garden: 1,850 sqm (about 1.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools)
Outpatient Rehab Centre: 6,910 sqm (about 1 football field)
Massing
19-storey building, which houses:

4 levels of outpatient services, F&B and podium

6 levels of wards, inpatient rehabilitation and a roof garden
14 levels of admin offices & staff amenities

2 basements levels for campus support operations
2 basements levels for carpark lots

545 Inpatient Beds
Ward facilities are planned with the flexibility to rapidly convert into acute care facilities when required
Key Facilities

Rehabilitation Facilities
Dialysis Centres (Inpatient and Outpatient)
Wards
Outpatient Clinics
Function Room
Campus Logistics Hub and Central Kitchen serving SGH Campus
Retail and Food Outlets
Childcare Centre
Innovation Centre
Oasis @ Outram by Hospice Care Association

Connectivity

Patients/Staff and Visitor/Public Links
The internal link bridge facilitates the transfer of patients from the SGH acute wards to OCH wards, while visitors can use the public link bridge to connect between SGH and OCH.
Service Tunnels
Meals, medical and non-medical supplies are delivered to clinical facilities via service tunnels linking SingHealth Tower and OCH to the rest of the SGH Campus.
Carpark Links
About 1,000 carpark lots are available for the convenience of patients and visitors.

Rehabilitation for Faster Recovery

Wards
Wards feature bed clusters with ample room for patients to move about within the ward. This encourages them to be proactive in their rehabilitation outside of sessions with their therapists.
Activity Rooms
Activity Rooms are integrated into each ward and act as rehabilitations space where patients can practise their exercises or undergo rehabilitation therapy.
Activities of Daily Living Facility
Designed as a two-room flat, the Activities of Daily Living facility simulates a home environment where patients can practise performing daily activities under the guidance of Allied Health Professionals.
Rooftop Garden
The rooftop garden has built-in rehabilitation facilities that allow patients to engage in activities such as gardening, navigating outdoor terrains and crossing a traffic light junction. Seating areas within the lush greenery also provide respite and panoramic views of the SGH campus and Singapore’s iconic cityscape.

A Healing Environment

Greater comfort and privacy
Wards are kept small to provide patients with greater comfort and privacy so that they can heal in a restful and conducive environment.
A natural healing environment
The wards are designed to provide maximum natural ventilation and daylight, as well as minimise heat gain from the external environment.
Better sight of patients
Wards have decentralised nurse stations so that nurses on duty can have a clear line of sight to all beds, enabling them to respond promptly to their patients.
Quiet oasis for patients
Patient lounges are located on every floor, encouraging mobility by giving patients and their caregivers a place to gather.

Supporting the nation’s fight against COVID-19

In order to ramp up SGH’s capacity to manage COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, several rehabilitative and sub-acute wards in OCH were converted into acute wards within weeks to facilitate the decanting of patients from SGH.
In February 2020, the SingHealth Tower and OCH link bridge on level 2 was repurposed as an extension of SGH’s Department of Emergency Medicine Fever

Area to hold patients waiting for treatment and/or for transportation to Swab Isolation Facilities or Community Care Facilities.

Annex B
OUTRAM COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Part of a larger family – SingHealth Community Hospitals
Outram Community Hospital (OCH) is part of the SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) formed in 2017, which also oversees two other community hospitals – Bright Vision Hospital and Sengkang Community Hospital. Together, the three community hospitals help to meet the growing healthcare demands as our healthcare landscape shifts with the ageing population.

OCH works closely with the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) to ensure a seamless transition of care for patients who require continuing care after their stay at the general hospital. The team at OCH is also in close communication with other acute hospitals for patient referrals.

Forming new partnerships and innovating care initiatives to bring better care for patients
Innovation and partnerships are key to the Hospital’s strategy to ensure patients receive timely, personalised and quality care. Leveraging SCH’s existing partnerships and through exploring new collaborations and care programmes, OCH has been working closely with healthcare institutions on the SGH Campus and in the community to enhance patient care and programmes in the Hospital.

Partnerships with SGH

Improving seamless transition of care between SGH and OCH
The teams have established several ‘green lane’ processes by developing special workflows that facilitate easier transfers for specific groups of patients to be admitted into OCH from SGH, such as for total knee replacement, hip fracture and stroke patients, among others, with future plans to extend such processes to more groups of patients. This has resulted in a shorter waiting time for transfers, improved rehabilitation efficiency with patients being able to start their rehabilitation journey earlier, and an overall shorter length of stay.

Other work processes have also been enhanced, such as the medication delivery from SGH to OCH to improve medication timeliness, as well as the facilitation of bedside video consultations for OCH patients who have follow-up appointments with SGH’s Specialist Outpatient Clinics. There are further plans to streamline information sharing, medication delivery and specimen collection between both medical teams.
Expanding the pool of patients for transfer to OCH
To free up SGH’s bed capacity for patients who require more intensive care, OCH collaborated with several SGH departments to expand the pool of patients for transfer to OCH. One such collaboration is with the SGH Renal Department to admit patients needing renal dialysis to OCH. OCH houses an in-house dialysis facility which allows for inpatients to undergo dialysis in the Hospital’s premises, and not have to travel to other centres for dialysis. This third party facility also caters to other patients in the central region community who require dialysis.

Dedicated care wards to house patients of similar conditions
To ensure that patients receive personalised care that is tailored to their specific needs, the SCH team has introduced specialty care wards in OCH which houses patients of similar conditions together. One example is the palliative care ward, where a dedicated multidisciplinary care team focuses on improving these patients’ quality of life so that they can live and leave in dignity.

The OCH palliative care team introduced a “Legacy Project" for these patients to preserve their memories and fulfil their last wishes with their caregivers. The meaningful initiative provides comfort for palliative patients and lets them share their love, stay connected with and show appreciation to their loved ones. “Legacies” left behind by patients include personal life stories, cards and voice messages for their loved ones, and even recipes for the OCH team.

SCH also piloted a dementia care ward in OCH, where the care programme is tailored to the unique needs and preferences of this group of cognitively-impaired patients. For example, the care team holds activities that are suitable for dementia patients, set up a reminiscence corner in the ward filled with items that invoke nostalgia, and inculcated other special ward design elements to create a homely, effective and safe environment for this group of patients.

Partnering the community to enhance the psychosocial wellbeing of patients for holistic care

Art-Focused Therapy Programme
In July 2020, the SCH Medical Social Services team worked together with LASALLE College of the Arts to conduct art-focused therapy sessions for OCH patients. The art therapist conducts a form of counselling (both verbal and non-verbal) for patients during their stay, helping them to communicate their personal stories and find healing through the process of creative expression. A total of 34 patients participated in the sessions from July 2020 to March 2021, and the care team has seen positive outcomes on patients’ psychological wellbeing.

The team has also started reminiscence therapy sessions in August 2021, to keep patients in the hospital meaningfully occupied and to increase their cognitive, social interactivity and overall wellbeing.
Collaboration with HCA Hospice Care
HCA Hospice Care has a day hospice in the OCH building that caters to adult and paediatric patients with life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses. With a close proximity to the OCH wards, the OCH palliative care team will be working closely with the hospice to help facilitate the care provided for OCH’s palliative patients when needed.
Social Prescribing Programme
SCH introduced the Social Prescribing programme to improve the health and wellbeing of patients holistically, beyond just medical needs. The programme was first started in Bright Vision Hospital and Sengkang Community Hospital, and will be introduced to OCH patients by first quarter this year. As part of this programme, Wellbeing Coordinators engage patients with regular conversations and get to know them personally during their stay, and link them up with activities in the community to help them stay socially motivated and connected after their discharge.

The team has also started an e-Social Prescribing programme to teach patients how to use various functions in a mobile phone such as connecting to WIFI, Whatsapp voice message and video calls and even scanning of QR codes to help them connect with their loved ones and keep up with the times.

The Social Prescribing programme was published in a photo story on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) online platform earlier this year, highlighting the Hospitals’ efforts to provide holistic care and enhance patients’ wellbeing.
Virtual Patient Activities
During the COVID-19 pandemic, patient activities have taken on a different form in SCH – they are conducted through digital platforms so that the team can continue engaging patients meaningfully and safely through their recovery and therapy journey. Volunteers from schools and the rest of the community also engage and interact with patients through Zoom, and patients get to participate in virtual activities such as e-Bingo regularly, where OCH, SKCH, and BVH patients play the game together via live-stream sessions organised in the wards. These activities are fundamental in setting the stage for social prescribing implementation, as they provide a natural social setting to better understand social needs and motivations of our patients.

Building and Construction Authority’s Universal Design Mark Awards 2021
This annual award recognises exceptional infrastructure developments that incorporate user-friendly features. The design of SingHealth Tower and OCH demonstrates extensive consideration for the needs of various users of the building. For example, the porous layout increases ease of access for visitors, while the office tower has a comprehensive suite of support and staff welfare facilities like the recreational gym and ergonometric adjustable tables. OCH wards are colour-coded for easy differentiation and wayfinding, and rehabilitation areas for patients have been incorporated throughout many spaces in the building, such as the outdoor rehabilitation gym at the rooftop garden.

Official Opening of SingHealth Tower and Outram Community Hospital