SPEECH BY SMS DR JANIL PUTHUCHEARY, AT THE YISHUN HEALTH PATIENT SERVICE ASSOCIATE DAY

Prof Chua Hong Choon, Chief Executive Officer, Yishun Health

All the Senior Management of Yishun Health

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen, and most importantly our Patient Service Associates whom we are celebrating today.

Thank you very much for inviting me to join you.

You can feel the excitement in the room and it is important that we recognise the valuable contributions of our Patient Service Associates (PSAs). You dedicate yourselves to ensuring that every patient who comes through our healthcare institutions is attended to with the care, the warmth, the love, the attention to detail that they so richly deserve. It is something that you have to put your heart and soul into, and that comes across in the warmth that you display, not just to every patient but also when you gather on occasions like this. And it is heartwarming, it really is.

2.       PSAs are a bridge between the healthcare institutions and the patients and their families. The institution will have policies, the organisation will have processes, the Ministry, the regulators, we will have rules. But at the heart of it all, is a person. If that person is a patient, they may be tended to by a healthcare professional, but you will also look after them. If that person is a family member in distress or who needs assistance, who needs knowledge, who needs guidance, then you are the primary point of contact, and so you provide a human touch, a personal approach to these things, which can be very systematic, can be very clinical, can be very depersonalised, the process that we have.

3.       What you do is essential to make sure that we humanise, personalise the work for the patients and their families. And it's from things like arranging appointments in a timely manner, getting assistance to the families, helping people to get what they need as they engage with our services. Your efforts shape each patient’s experience, and it does indeed contribute to their healing journey.

4.       The Ministry of Health recognises the importance of having a strong PSA workforce. And so, we work with public healthcare institutions, including Yishun Health, to redesign the role and career pathway of PSAs, so that you have more career development opportunities, a longer career progression runway and enhanced job satisfaction.

Yishun Health PSA Learning Academy 

5.       I am especially delighted to witness the launch of the Yishun Health’s PSA Learning Academy. The Academy aims to enhance the skills and the career progression of PSAs across Yishun Health and it marks Yishun Health’s commitment to grow and develop your PSA workforce.

6.       The Academy prepares the PSAs for the diverse roles they play within the hospital. It will provide structured training programmes and will cover key areas such as customer service skills, clinical knowledge, as well as accredited training and certification programmes with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and NTUC LearningHub. The training programmes are customised and they comprise periodic reviews and adjustments to ensure individuals’ continuous professional growth. We are taking this approach very seriously and bringing to bear all the things that we know about adult education and structured training to make sure that this will be useful and successful. For a more holistic learning experience, the Academy adopts a mix of classroom learning, e-learning and hands-on experience, including job trials facilitated by nurse educators.

7.       I encourage all our PSAs to discuss with your supervisors and consider upgrading your skills with the Academy to further your career growth and development.

Yishun Health PSA Day Awardees

8.       Today, I would also like to take the opportunity to share three stories of inspiring colleagues at Yishun Health who went the extra mile to care for our patients.

9.       The first story I would like to tell you about is Ms Li Fei. Li Fei is a Senior Patient Service Associate from the Eye Specialist Outpatient Clinic. She is this year’s recipient for the PSA Service Excellence Award. In her four years of service with Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), Li Fei has received consistent praise from her patients for her professionalism, positive disposition and her willingness to go above and beyond to offer reassurance and help. Congratulations to Li Fei once again.

10.       Next, we have Ms Nur Liyana Bte Noor Mohamed. She is a Patient Service Associate Executive from the A&E department. She receives the PSA Preceptor Award. She has been with KTPH for nine years, and Liyana has accumulated a wealth of experience which she shares selflessly with her colleagues. As a Preceptor, Liyana demonstrates passion, patience and genuine interest in helping junior PSAs to succeed. She also strives to foster a nurturing and safe environment for her team members to express their concerns and raise questions. Thank you very much and congratulations Liyana.

11.      The last but not the least, we have Ms Nurul Hidayah Binte Sarifi. She is receiving the Outstanding PSA Leader Award. She is a senior PSA who has been with Yishun Health for 16 years, and has worked in various service areas, such as A&E, Bed Management Unit, Inpatient Ward and Patient Service Centre. Through her passion for continuous learning, Nurul has now become Senior Patient Service Associate Executive, leading a team of 60 PSAs in the Inpatient Ward and Peri-operative Service areas. Congratulations.

12.      Nurul’s leadership, dedication and ability to solve problems have made her a role model to many people and so her career growth doesn’t stop here. She will soon be stepping into a new role as a trainer in the Yishun Health PSA Learning Academy.

Conclusion

13.      So, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all PSAs for your patience and your commitment to service excellence. As we celebrate PSA Day, take a moment to reflect on the significance, the difference that you make in the lives of many people, our families, our patients, our loved ones. Every day this is what you do and it’s the simplest thing to say but it’s so important, thank you very much.