Update on the Inter-Agency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1197
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 04 JULY 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin 
MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC

Question No. 3017 

To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the recommended strategy by the Interagency Task Force on Mental Health and Well-being (a) whether the Government will consider elderly mental health as a separate pillar given the increasing proportion and vulnerability of the demographic; and (b) what outcomes and indicators are being set for the work of the Task Force.

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1202
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 04 JULY 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms Tin Pei Ling
MP for Macpherson

Question No. 3049 

To ask the Minister for Health (a) what recourse is available for caregivers of elderly care recipients when the latter exhibit self-harm or aggressive behaviours which require emergency interventions; (b) whether the restructured hospitals, including the Institute of Mental Health, are equipped to handle these cases; and (c) how can geriatricians and social service agencies play a role in such case management.

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1208
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 05 JULY 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Dr Wan Rizal
MP for Jalan Besar GRC

Question No. 3108 

To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry can provide an update on the Inter-Agency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being, especially on its plans to improve mental health literacy among citizens and create an inclusive society for persons with mental health conditions.

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1215
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 06 JULY 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Christopher de Souza
MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Question No. 1867

To ask the Minister for Health whether a nationwide campaign can be utilised to generate greater awareness for mental health problems and to equip parents and peers with the appropriate soft skills to support those struggling with mental health.

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1217
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 06 JULY 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Christopher de Souza
MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Question No. 1868 

To ask the Minister for Health whether more campaigns on mental health can be propagated to make avenues and channels for help be more accessible to the public.

Oral Answer

Madam Deputy Speaker, with your permission, may I collectively address the PQs for oral answer No. 15 to 17 in the order paper, and written PQs filed by Mr Christopher de Souza^{1 2} for the sitting on or after 6 July please? 

The Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being has conducted a review of existing mental health and well-being programmes and developed preliminary recommendations to support the mental health needs of all members of society, including youths and seniors. The Taskforce recommendations are aimed at creating a more caring and more inclusive society, where all can seek help and be supported to achieve mental health and well-being, and can participate meaningfully in our society.

The Taskforce is currently embarking on a consultation exercise from 30th of May to 7th August 2022 to seek the views of the public on its preliminary recommendations. The findings from the public consultation will enable the Taskforce to refine the recommendations and develop a national strategy on mental health and well-being.  Following this, indicators will be developed to measure the implementation progress and the effectiveness of the strategy.

The Taskforce has proposed 12 preliminary recommendations in three focus areas:
a) The first focus area is improve accessibility, coordination and quality of mental health services; 
b) The second is the strengthening of services and support for youth mental well-being; and 
c) The third is to improve workplace well-being measures and employment support. 

Some of the recommendations include designating first-stop touchpoints for easier wayfinding of mental health services, standardising process and systems between social and healthcare providers for better coordination of care, and equipping frontline service providers with the relevant mental health knowledge and competencies to support their clients. For our youths, we want to promote the positive use of technology and social media, and propose to develop a parents’ toolbox to enable parents to better support their children’s social-emotional well-being. At the workplace, we propose to improve mental well-being support systems and work-life harmony strategies, and equip employers with knowledge on supporting persons with mental health needs. In addition, there is a need to improve access to vocational training and increase job opportunities for persons with mental health conditions.

To promote mental health awareness and literacy in the population, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) launched the national campaign in October 2021 titled “It’s OKAY to Reach Out”. The campaign aims to normalise discussion about, and increase understanding of, mental health issues. The campaign also encourages us to reach out for help and where possible reach out to provide help. The campaign includes community dialogue sessions, activity-based workshops and educational webinars where participants learn more about mental well-being, and equip themselves with practical coping tips, as well as how to reach out to seek support, and support others.  To complement this national campaign, HPB also rolled out MindSG, an online portal featuring resources curated by mental health experts, to provide Singaporeans with credible, reliable and convenient access to important and relevant content. HPB will be launching the second instalment of the “It’s OKAY to Reach Out” national campaign in the coming months.

There are existing mental health services to cater to the needs of persons with mental health conditions and their caregivers.  Caregivers of elderly care recipients, in particular, those who exhibit self-harm or aggressive behaviours can call the Institute of Mental Health’s (IMH) 24-hour Mental Health Helpline at 6389 2222, to seek help for managing a crisis situation. Where necessary, IMH will also make home visits to provide crisis interventions.

When the acute psychiatric condition has stabilised, the elderly care recipients may be referred for follow up at the outpatient clinics at the restructured hospitals, where their care would be overseen by healthcare professionals trained in mental health, including psycho-geriatricians. In the community, the Agency for Integrated Care has worked with social service agencies to set up community intervention teams, which can provide further support for these elderly care recipients through psycho-social therapeutic intervention and counselling.

[1] To ask the Minister for Health whether a nationwide campaign can be utilised to generate greater awareness for mental health problems and to equip parents and peers with the appropriate soft skills to support those struggling with mental health.

[2] To ask the Minister for Health whether more campaigns on mental health can be propagated to make avenues and channels for help be more accessible to the public.