TRANSFORMING HOSPITAL CARE TEAMS TO MEET CARE NEEDS OF AN AGEING POPULATION

As Singapore’s population ages, patients will increasingly present with multiple medical conditions that would require care from several care teams today. Public hospitals are therefore transforming their care teams to provide better consolidated care for patients.

A Unified Team to Care for Patients with Multiple Conditions

2.               Instead of having multiple primarily specialist-led care teams looking after a patient with multiple conditions, the same patient can now receive care from a unified care team led by a Principal Doctor who will coordinate and integrate care according to his needs. Principal Doctors may be specialists who have retained broad-based competencies, or Hospital Clinicians with broader-based hospital training.

3.               The Principal Doctor will draw expertise from relevant specialists, such as cardiologists, orthopaedic surgeons, and other healthcare professionals as needed, to develop the care plan for the patient. The Principal Doctor will also co-ordinate and manage cross-specialty issues. Patients will not experience a drop in quality of care.

4.               During a hospital stay, the patient will only need to be seen by the Principal Doctor on all aspects of care related to his/her conditions. In the outpatient setting, the patient continues to follow up with the Principal Doctor with potentially fewer referrals and visits to different specialists.  

5.               Several public hospitals such as Alexandra Hospital, Changi General Hospital and Woodlands Health have already begun implementing this new care model in the inpatient settings, starting with disciplines where patients often present with multiple, interlinked conditions requiring coordinated care, such as General Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Paediatric Medicine. Public hospitals will progressively expand the unified care team model to other disciplines over the next few years.

Enhanced Medical Career Pathways to Support Transformation

6.               MOH will enhance the career development and progression of Hospital Clinicians, to recognise the expanded role that they will take on when appointed as Principal Doctors.  

7.                Hospital Clinicians who take on significant professional leadership responsibilities will also have the opportunity to progress to a new apex grade, similar to specialists and consultant family physicians.    

8.               With the Hospital Clinician scheme, there will be three main medical career pathways for doctors in the public healthcare sector:

• a.     Family Physicians and Family Medicine Specialists who anchor primary and community-based care.

• b.     Hospital-based Hospital Clinicians with broader-based competencies across multiple domains.

• c.     Hospital-based Specialists with deep expertise in specific disciplines, who also maintain a broad scope of practice.

9.               MOH will continue to review and enhance the career development and progression of our doctors to meet the healthcare needs of Singaporeans.