Social Health and Prescribed with Activities

09 October 2023

MEDIA RELEASE

Hospital Inpatients Assessed for Social Health and Prescribed With Activities as Part of Their Care Plans

Singapore, 09 October 2023 – Arts for Healing activities like Zentangle and music therapy, weekly 'Variety Hour' live shows, Therapeutic Horticulture and digital competency lessons, are some of the social prescriptions given to patients at SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) as part of their care plans during their hospital stay. This is part of the Hospital's care initiative, known as 'social prescribing', that assesses inpatients' social health and support their holistic recovery.

Social determinants of health, such as an individual's housing environment, literacy, food security, social support and access to health and social care resources, are social-environmental factors that can heavily influence a person's health. To optimise patients' social determinants of health, SCH has been implementing social prescribing for its patients as a structured way of improving their health outcomes by linking them to activities, resources and interest groups in the community.

Part of this programme involves prescribing patients with social activities while they are in the hospital, where patients are first assessed for their 'social health' and wellbeing after being referred to the Hospital's Wellbeing Coordinators upon admission, who then prescribe them with suitable activities to complement their medical care plans.

Donation by STMicroelectronics a springboard to SCH's innovative patient programmes that supports social health

To date, more than 2,000 SCH patients have benefitted from global semiconductor company, STMicroelectronics's (ST) generous donation to SCH's social prescribing programme.

A donation by ST has enabled SCH to enhance its activities under the social prescribing programme, which includes the purchase of smartphones, tablets and monthly mobile plans for the team to conduct digital competency lessons for elderly patients under the e-Social Prescribing Programme; the production of the weekly entertainment live shows under the Variety Hour programme; the curation of gardening curriculum and spaces at the Hospital's rooftop garden for patients' therapeutic rehabilitation under the Horticultural Programme; as well as the partnerships with external parties to organise arts and music sessions to promote patients' mental and emotional wellbeing under the Arts for Healing Programme.

"A social prescription is a powerful companion to medicines and surgery to give the best health outcome. It expands the repertoire of options for doctors, especially when managing patients where social determinants have a profound impact on their ability to get well, live well and age well. We are grateful to like-minded partners such as STMicroelectronics, who share our vision of providing holistic, person-centred patient care and uplift our patients back to health," said Associate Professor Gan Wee Hoe, Chief Executive Officer of SCH.

The fund has also empowered the care team to brainstorm innovative ways to benefit more patients through the social prescribing programme, such as setting up a multimedia studio with equipment and production capabilities within the hospital. SCH now has the digital competencies in-house and is able to bring its social prescriptions online to engage more inpatients, such as livestreaming its Variety Hour Programme across its different community hospital sites to reach out to those who are less mobile and unable to watch the show live in person. Another idea was the expansion of its Arts for Healing Programme to include patients who are unable to join group activities, by introducing individual art activities that patients can participate in from their hospital beds.

"As we navigate the world of technology, it is our responsibility to bring our senior citizens and less fortunate along with us. By enabling digital connectivity, we can bridge the social divide and promote independence, safety, and community connection. Through this initiative, we aim to empower and engage our fellow citizens using digital tools and platforms, ensuring that they remain active and connected, both now and in the future," said Bertrand Stoltz, Managing Director, ST Singapore.

The Hospital's social prescribing programme follows through with patients even after discharge, to help them stay well in the community. Wellbeing Coordinators will help match patients to community facilities and groups offering similar activities close to patients' home to encourage them to continue with their social prescriptions.


About SingHealth Community Hospitals
SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) comprises Bright Vision Community Hospital, Sengkang Community Hospital and Outram 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.

About STMicroelectronics
At ST, we are over 50,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. An integrated device manufacturer, we work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of the Internet of Things and connectivity. We are committed to achieving our goal to become carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 and partially scope 3 by 2027.

Further information can be found at www.st.com.


"Through the e-social prescribing programme, I learned news skills such as how to block phone calls with unfamiliar numbers on my mobile phone. I was also glad to be able to join in activities such as the Variety Hour programme and arts and crafts, which kept me actively engaged and distracted me from my physical discomfort and worries while I was warded. I am thankful to the care team who took care of my overall wellbeing, while helping me to recover physically."

Mr Leow Keng Chye, 72 years old, warded at Sengkang Community Hospital

 
"I enjoy the Rangoli Art session and the chit chat with the volunteers very much. Time passes much faster when I am occupied with these activities in the ward. Thank you for organising such meaningful activities for us."

Ms Lian Swee Wah, 86 years old, warded at Sengkang Community Hospital