MOH targets 17,150 beds by 2020; it will also run small number of homes
By Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 1 Aug 2014
By Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 1 Aug 2014
It is also looking into releasing land for new facilities and helping operators scale up more quickly, after revising its initial target of 15,600 beds by 2020 to 17,150 - a 10 per cent increase.
"With more rapid population ageing in the next couple of decades, we need even more nursing home capacity to meet the anticipated increase in demand for nursing care," said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong yesterday, as he revealed several initiatives to ramp up the number of beds from around 10,000 now.
MOH is considering running three to four of its own nursing homes to help the ministry better understand the issues faced by operators, and come up with solutions and innovations in eldercare which can be adopted by others.
"Our intention is not to become a major player in the market," said Mr Gan, pointing out that MOH intends to directly operate only about 1,000 beds by 2020, which will account for 6 per cent of the total.
To help operators expand, MOH will call for tenders in which more than one nursing home will be awarded to one operator at a time.
These homes will also be located close to each other so that operators can enjoy economies of scale and better manage resources. A therapist, for instance, could work at two nearby homes, cutting back on manpower.
The first of such tenders will be launched this month, and is open to voluntary welfare organisations and private operators.
Those who wish to apply will "have to be prepared to provide more holistic care", said Mr Gan, explaining that they should offer home-care services as well. This will help patients receive care under their own roof after a stay at a nursing home.
The ministry will pay for the building of these new facilities, and lease them out to operators in order to keep costs low for patients.
MOH had announced two years ago that 10 nursing homes with 3,000 beds will be built under this Build-Own-Lease model by 2016.
MOH had announced two years ago that 10 nursing homes with 3,000 beds will be built under this Build-Own-Lease model by 2016.
Yesterday, Mr Gan said another nine homes, which will provide 2,000 beds, will be built under this scheme between 2017 and 2020. The Government also plans to release suitable land sites and state properties for the private sector to own and run their nursing homes with their own care models, he added. This will add about 450 more beds by 2020.
About 1,000 more beds will also be provided through the expansion of existing nursing homes.
Mr Gan revealed his ministry's plans at the opening of the Society for the Aged Sick's new tower block in Hougang, which added 160 beds to the previous capacity of 244 beds.
Nursing home operators welcomed MOH's plan to run its own homes.
All Saints Home chief executive Eugene Yeo said: "It's encouraging that the policymaker wants to experience first-hand the challenges on the ground."
But some were concerned about manpower issues, given the crunch affecting the health-care sector. Last week, NTUC also revealed plans to open its first nursing home next year under the Build-Own-Lease model.
Ms Loh Shu Ching, chief executive of Ren Ci Hospital, hoped for a "level playing field" in hiring staff. "The recruitment machinery behind MOH-run homes will definitely be bigger. These homes may be perceived to be more attractive employers, with strong government funding behind them."
MOH’s nursing homes will improve standard of eldercare services: experts
By Sara Grosse, Channel NewsAsia, 2 Aug 2014
Healthcare industry players say there will be an improved standard of care at nursing homes when the Ministry of Health (MOH) operates its own eldercare facilities.
MOH plans to operate a few nursing homes of its own so that it can develop innovations in eldercare and share successful models of care with the rest of the sector. But while this may mean better innovation in the nursing home sector, there will also be competition for manpower.
To prevent falls for elderly patients getting out of bed, Peacehaven Nursing Home developed a prototype call system two years ago - a switch connected to the bed rail is triggered once a patient moves from the bed, alerting staff. But the nursing home has had problems bringing the prototype to fruition, and is hoping that the nursing homes operated by MOH would also share innovations that they come up with.
Low Mui Lang, executive director of Peacehaven Nursing Home, said: "In the nursing home, we carry out a few innovations. We do prototyping. But we do have difficulties because we don't have the additional manpower.
“MOH will have the ability to employ a project manager to be in charge of innovation. And this project manager can actually work through with the nursing home that they have to do the design-thinking and come up with prototyping. And after the prototyping, the ministry and I would see that they would have the platform to bring this prototyping to Spring Singapore or to any other vendor to be able to produce the product. "
While Madam Low welcomes new models of care in the nursing home sector, she says there is still some apprehension that government-run nursing homes may be in a better position to attract trained staff, compared to other nursing homes.
Madam Low said: "Maybe MOH will be able to recruit professional staff and pay them competitively as compared to the hospitals, which currently some of us are still struggling with. So MOH will be in a better position to recruit trained staff. For us, our current system is such that we hire foreign staff and we upgrade them into enrolled nurses and registered nurses. So our staff in our homes take a longer time to upgrade, whereas those in MOH, they would be able to attract those with hospital experience."
Some healthcare analysts however say competition in the nursing home sector is good, even if costs increase. Associate Professor Phua Kai Hong from Heath Policy and Management at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: "If it is lucrative enough, many more private operators would come in and if the standards are raised, obviously costs would have to go up. But if it is a necessary demand, it is a more optimal solution rather than to resort to just providing more medical care."
The overall consensus of having MOH run its own nursing homes is that it will raise the standards and improve the overall quality of care of the nursing home sector. But manpower resources still remain a key concern and it is something that has to be tackled through intensive training.
MOH’s nursing homes will improve standard of eldercare services: experts
By Sara Grosse, Channel NewsAsia, 2 Aug 2014
Healthcare industry players say there will be an improved standard of care at nursing homes when the Ministry of Health (MOH) operates its own eldercare facilities.
MOH plans to operate a few nursing homes of its own so that it can develop innovations in eldercare and share successful models of care with the rest of the sector. But while this may mean better innovation in the nursing home sector, there will also be competition for manpower.
To prevent falls for elderly patients getting out of bed, Peacehaven Nursing Home developed a prototype call system two years ago - a switch connected to the bed rail is triggered once a patient moves from the bed, alerting staff. But the nursing home has had problems bringing the prototype to fruition, and is hoping that the nursing homes operated by MOH would also share innovations that they come up with.
Low Mui Lang, executive director of Peacehaven Nursing Home, said: "In the nursing home, we carry out a few innovations. We do prototyping. But we do have difficulties because we don't have the additional manpower.
“MOH will have the ability to employ a project manager to be in charge of innovation. And this project manager can actually work through with the nursing home that they have to do the design-thinking and come up with prototyping. And after the prototyping, the ministry and I would see that they would have the platform to bring this prototyping to Spring Singapore or to any other vendor to be able to produce the product. "
While Madam Low welcomes new models of care in the nursing home sector, she says there is still some apprehension that government-run nursing homes may be in a better position to attract trained staff, compared to other nursing homes.
Madam Low said: "Maybe MOH will be able to recruit professional staff and pay them competitively as compared to the hospitals, which currently some of us are still struggling with. So MOH will be in a better position to recruit trained staff. For us, our current system is such that we hire foreign staff and we upgrade them into enrolled nurses and registered nurses. So our staff in our homes take a longer time to upgrade, whereas those in MOH, they would be able to attract those with hospital experience."
Some healthcare analysts however say competition in the nursing home sector is good, even if costs increase. Associate Professor Phua Kai Hong from Heath Policy and Management at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: "If it is lucrative enough, many more private operators would come in and if the standards are raised, obviously costs would have to go up. But if it is a necessary demand, it is a more optimal solution rather than to resort to just providing more medical care."
The overall consensus of having MOH run its own nursing homes is that it will raise the standards and improve the overall quality of care of the nursing home sector. But manpower resources still remain a key concern and it is something that has to be tackled through intensive training.
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