Engage @ JurongHealth Jan – Apr 2012

engage JAN – APR 2012 | ISSUE 11

@JurongHealth

We’ve grown in every sense of the word…

Welcome JMC

06

17

19

Handwritten Compliments That Touched Our Staff

The Give and Take Spirit at Alexandra Hospital

Reaching Out to Our Residents @ Jurong East

SERVICE QUALITY

HOSPITAL PLANNING

HAPPENINGS

HIGHLIGHTS

02

EDITORIAL

06

SERVICE QUALITY

08

IMPROVEMENT & INNOVATION

12

YEAR IN PHOTO – 2011

16

EDITORIAL

Welcoming Jurong Medical Centre to the JurongHealth Family!

I am excited that JurongHealth has reached another milestone as we welcome Jurong Medical Centre (JMC) to our family officially from 1 April 2012!

In fact, JMC is no stranger to many of us. Our colleagues at JMC have been working with the team at JurongHealth since a year back to ensure seamless transition of the management of JMC from Alexandra Health to JurongHealth.

In the course of the year, we have had many opportunities to interact with JMC colleagues as

HOSPITAL PLANNING

18

HAPPENINGS

20

HOnouring history

24

MUSINGS

If you have missed us, you are not alone.

- From The Editorial Team

We have gone on a hiatus for four months as we want to come up with a bigger and fatter version. With burgeoning staff strength and the addition of Jurong Medical Centre to our JurongHealth family, it is not hard to see that the previous 12-paged Engage was too thin to house all our latest happenings. From now on, Engage will be increased to 24 pages while resuming her bi-monthly print runs. This special four month bumper issue hopes to bring you up to speed with all that has gone on since 2012 started. Enjoy.

03 Medicine, with members from Departments of Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Medical Social Services, Pharmacy, Clinical Measurement and Clinical Operations, the ICP programme will look at the whole continuum of care with the aim to deliver holistic and integrated care.

well as to listen to their feedback and sentiments as we plan for the transition through tea sessions with Senior Management, briefing sessions by Human Resource, Nursing and Service Operations, etc.

Our clinicians from General Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery and ENT have also started running sessions in JMC from July, September and November 2011 respectively. Our colleagues at JMC also gamely joined us at the recent Dinner and Dance 2012 and even emerged as the champion team of the JurongHealth talent quest.

I am very heartened by the friendship and support displayed by both the JMC and JurongHealth teams.

This is truly a great start to establishing a stronger JurongHealth presence in the West. With JMC as the unique one-stop healthcare centre providing specialist care for residents in the West, we are all ready to pilot new models of care for our patients and the community.

Led by Dr Thomas Soo, Clinical Director and Mr Ng Kian Swan, Director of Operations, JMC will be guided by its 3 Service Pillars namely Ambulatory Care, Clinical Support Services and Community Wellness to deliver a comprehensive range of community health and support services such as:

•

• • •

•

Specialist outpatient clinics for Dental Surgery, General Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat and Dermatology Day surgery and Endoscopy services Laboratory and X-ray services Chronic Disease Management for conditions such as Diabetes and Hypertension Health & Wellness services which include health screening, workplace health and consultancy, occupational health screening and preventive healthcare programmes.

I am very encouraged by the support as shown by 90% of the team who have made the decision to stay on as part of the JurongHealth team.

JMC is a critical piece in our mission to foster greater co-ordinated and integrated care at the community level.

JMC will be a key platform for us to engage and collaborate with the community and various partners in the West such as GPs, polyclinics,

hospitals, long term care providers, etc., to ensure patients are managed in the appropriate place with the right level of care (right siting of care) as well as to promote self-management of chronic medical conditions in the whole continuum of care.

For a start, we will be launching the first of our series of Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) programmes with the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Programme at JMC on 28 April 2012.

Working alongside GPs and community partners, the multi-disciplinary team headed by Dr Gerald Chua, Head of Department of

We are in the process of planning an open house event at JMC on 28 April 2012 which will be graced

by Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State for Health, as our Guest-of-Honour.

Engaging our patients and the community remain high on our priority and we look forward to meeting the community, launching our COPD programme as well as conducting health screening for the general public. We welcome all staff to come down and join in the activities.

Please join me once again in welcoming our JMC colleagues on board in our vision to transforming care and bringing health to every home!

Sincerely,

FOO HEE JUG Chief Executive Officer

EDITORIAL

ICP - COPD Launch and Health Carnival at JMC “After this pilot COPD programme, we have identified hip fracture and stroke as the next two conditions… which have the potential for improved outcome with this model of Integrated Care Pathway mapped out…we will monitor our pilot programme closely and make changes along the way to take us closer to our aspiration of bringing hassle-free healthcare to the population.”

- Mr Foo Hee Jug, CEO

“…despite the advances of medicine, the care of a COPD patient remains largely episodic and fragmented. The Integrated Care Pathway initiative aims to…provide coordinated and integrated care across the whole spectrum that covers education, prevention, screening, early detection and treatment.”

- Mr Foo Hee Jug, CEO

05 Trailblazing a new mode of care and the first of a national-level series to be rolled out, we launched our Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) with the pilot Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) programme.

Held at the JMC Health Carnival, we bring you excerpts of the speeches by Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State for Health, and CEO of JurongHealth, Mr Foo Hee Jug.

“We need to move from a hospital centric model of care and enhance prevention efforts in the community as well as enabling primary care providers such as GPs to manage less complex cases. The COPDICP was developed with these needs in mind.”

“Under JurongHealth, JMC will continue and further enhance this important role of providing specialist care out here in the community.

While we are building our hospitals in the West, JMC will serve as a key portal to reach out to the community to better understand the needs of the people as well as pilot new models of care.”

- Mr Foo Hee Jug, CEO

“With the rollout of the COPD ICP, care planning and management for our patients will also be more coordinated with patients having easier access to the services that they need in the appropriate setting. I am confident that this will improve patient experience and clinical outcomes.”

- Dr Amy Khor, Minister of State for Health

Service Quality

Handwritten Compliments That Touched Our Staff With tablets, laptops and other hybrid forms of communication, nothing beats getting a handwritten note from a grateful patient.

As our staff go about their duties and making the extra effort in touching the hearts of our patients, the rewards can be extremely gratifying when the exact patients come back with a bevy of handwritten compliments

that not only reach out to our staff, but also refuels their fervor to bring about a higher level of service.

These heartfelt and thoughtful scribblings, whilst simple or even old-fashion, go a

long way in motivating our medical staff and caregivers – complete with the patient’s personal touch.

07

Triggering Improvement and Innovation Innovation and improvement can help create maximum impact in improving the value and quality of care for patients.

All successful organisations aspire to live and breathe Quality. Quality in healthcare is even more critical because patients put their lives in our hands. Quality 360 reflects our holistic approach to quality, encompassing patient and staff safety, service quality, infection control, process improvement and innovation.

Improvement and innovation transforms healthcare for patients by developing and spreading new work practices, technology and improved leadership.

This series showcases the different project teams’ personal commitment to quality, and their common goal of improving the value and quality of care for patients.

Improvement & Innovation

REDUCING SPECIMEN REJECTION RATE AT ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL Submission of eHOR

3.0

Background

2.8

The objective of the project is to reduce the laboratory specimen rejection rate at Alexandra Hospital (AH). As a healthcare provider, the role of the laboratory is to produce reliable results on which clinicians can make the appropriate medical decisions. This can only be achieved if specimens received in the laboratory are in good condition.

During the transition period of taking over AH by the new JurongHealth team from February to August 2010, a surge in specimen rejection rate to >2% as opposed to the acceptable target rate of below 1% was observed across all wards and departments.

Specimen Rejection Rate %

1

09

2.6

New Hire Orientation

2.4

Return of specimen rejection form 2nd Tier Check

2.2 2.0

Extend phlebotomy service

1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2

Transition to AH

0.0 Jan 10 Feb 10 Mar 10 Apr 10

May 10 Jun 10

Jul 10

Aug 10 Sep 10 Oct 10 Nov 10 Dec 10 Jan 11 Feb 11 Mar 11 Apr 11 May 11 Jun 11 Aug 11

Target

Rate

Solutions

OUTCOME

Diagnostic Phase – To identify the problem

We managed to achieve the specimen rejection rate below 1.0% for the first time in March 2011, six months after the initiation of interventions and the good performance has been sustained ever since (see Figure 2). The commitment to deliver high patient quality care by the interdepartmental cooperations is the key success factor to this project.

Laboratory statistical analysis showed a rising trend of specimen rejection rate above the acceptable rate (see Figure 1). The team, with all key members of the process, was formed and led by Dr Leslie Lam (Head of Department) to resolve the problem. Regular meetings and brainstorming sessions were conducted to map the processes, evaluate root causes and ascertain potential solutions to close the gaps.

Intervention Phase – To search for solutions to the problem UPDATE UPDATE

PROBLEM

PROPOSED PROJECT

Hospital staff was not aware of the increasing specimen rejection rate.

Submission of electronic Hospital 09/2010 09/2010 Incident Report (eHOR) to alert hospital

Incorrect sequence of draw and wrong tube type.

New hire orientation to include correct blood taking techniques.

12/2010

Hospital staff not aware of specimen rejection rate.

Rejected specimen was returned to requestion unit with form that highlights the reason for rejection.

01/2011

Mismatched specimen

Implemented second tier check by nursing staff.

01/2011

Ward staff lack of phiabotomy skill

Extend ward phiabotomy service by laboratory staff.

01/2011

Rejected specimens often cause delay in medical treatment and unnecessary repeats in blood collection. By keeping the specimen rejection rate low, patients can be assured of receiving timely, safe and accurate clinical management. In addition, wastage in consumables and staff time for repeating blood collection will also be reduced significantly.

PROJECT TEAM Dr Leslie Lam, Head of Laboratory, Medicine, and team

Improvement & Innovation

2

Improving The Surgery Scheduling Process

Background JurongHealth conducted its first Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) to improve the surgery scheduling process at AH in September 2010. The purpose of the RIE was to address the gaps identified during the Value stream mapping (VSM) exercise, in May 2010, of the flow of AH’s surgical patients from the decision to perform surgery to discharge. The scope of the RIE was to review and improve the process that Orthopaedics, Urology and General Surgery patients underwent from the decision to perform surgery to the point where the patient was wheeled into the OT. The Objective of the RIE were to: •

Standardise the surgery scheduling process for Orthopaedics, Urology and General Surgery.

•

Reduce the number of postponed/cancelled surgeries.

solution KEY ISSUES IDENTIFIED

PROPOSED PROJECT

Last minute changes to OT schedule resulting in late notification to patients on reporting time for surgery.

Elective list locked 48 hours in advance.

OTS Nurse implemented during Kaizen week, 30 Sep 2010.

Dedicated OT Scheduling (OTS) Nurse to call patients.

Elective list locking rolled across hospital 14 Apr 2011.

Inconsistent cancellation process for surgeries.

Dedicated OT Scheduling (OTS) Nurse to implement cancellation/ postponed process.

OUTCOME

Procedure for listing included in HO/MO orientation programme and OT Crib.

Procedure and work instruction for elective list looking written.

Duplication of work in filing out similar information in both the paper OT chit and OTS.

Eliminate Paper OT Chit.

Use of paper OT Chit ceased hospital-wide from 28 Mar 2011.

Incomplete and inconsistent consent.

“Time out” checklist in clinic.

Checklist discontinued due to poor compliance.

No common understanding of the start “time” reflected in OT schedule.

Define “Surgery Start Time”.

Definition of surgery start time agreed at OT Committee.

Procedure for listing e-case included in HO/MO orientation programme and OT Crib.

Disseminated by OT Committee Chair, included in HO/MO orientation programme and OT Crib.

Time stamps developed for relevant departments to ensure first patient reaches OT by 8.00am.

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OUTCOME Overall reduction in cancellation and postponement rate across hospital.

Reduced cancellation rate within 48 hours.

% Postponed & Cancelled Surgeries (Elective Only)

40.0%

20.0%

0.0% Aug 10 Sep 10 Oct 10 Nov 10 Dec 10 Jan 11 Feb 11 Mar 11 Apr 11 May 11 Jun 11 Figure 1: % of Postponed and Cancelled elective surgeries (Aug 10 - Jul 11)

PROJECT TEAM

Quality Assured!

The Quality 360 team has begun planning for the next Quality Month in October 2012. Look out for an exciting programme line up that includes an appreciation award ceremony for staff who made improvements in their work environments, talks and forums headed by internal and external speakers as well as training sessions and workshops about the Joint Commission International or JCI – an accreditation standard for the healthcare industry.

Dr Gamaliel Tan, Orthopaedic Surgery Loke Wai Chan, Nursing Nell Van Dan Ende, Clinical Operations Dr Fareed Kagda, Orthopaedic Surgery Dr Seow Choon Sheong, Surgery Liberty Galler Placibe, Day Surgery OT Dr Chia Chui Ping, Anaesthesia Chiang Teik Weng, Service Operations Wong Mum Yee, Operational Support Services Vijayarani d/o Navasivayam, Major OT

Mary Sim, Ward 1 Bevin Gair, Ward 13 Fiona Chee Ru Xin, Nursing Admin Chris Wong, Physiotherapy Gao Yi Tian, IT Li Na, Nursing Admin Chia Guat Tin, Ward 12 Time Kosteinik, GE Healthcare Shaliza Saini, Corporate Planning Lalitha Vadlamani, Corporate Planning

Encore of Back to School 2012!

At JurongHealth’s second Dinner and Dance 2012, pleated skirts, pigtails and shorts were the rage.

It was also an evening when the staff of JurongHealth relived the good old days of being knee deep in books instead of work!

Were you there at the ‘school grounds’ in Resorts World Sentosa? If you were absent (tsk tsk, the principal would like to see you), check out these snapshots of the fun-filled evening!

A Big Thank You! We would like to thank Senior Management and our Partners listed below for their kind sponsorship of prizes.

CEO CMB All Senior Management Keppel FMO Jolly Renovation Works IDS Medical Systems Bibi and Baba ISS Facilities Comfort Ambulance and Services Resorts World Sentosa 3D Network Fuji Film UMC ServiceMaster Pte Ltd Minntech Asia Pacific Pte Ltd NeoAsia (S) Pte Ltd RAM I Singapore Oxygen Air Liquide (SOXAL) Millennium Plumbing & Sanitary Pte Ltd Impress Galleries ArjoHuntleigh Singapore Pte Ltd Acepac International (S) Pte Ltd Sia Huat Pte Ltd Pharamaforte Singapore Pte Ltd Toshiba Medical Systems Asia Pte Ltd Kim Globex Marketing Euramedic Pte Ltd AV-Science Marketing Pte Ltd Sun Japan (S) Systems Pte Ltd Ben Foods Business IT Pte Ltd Yong Wen Food (S) Pte Ltd Fresenius Kabi Paprika Global Standard Dental Co. Pte Ltd SembWaste Pte Ltd Gardenia Kingston Medical Supplies Pte Ltd PestBusters Heng Teck Huat Pte Ltd Unimed Healthcare Pte Ltd Unipool Trading Pte Ltd Mobile Workforce Astoria Trident The Laryngeal Mask Company (S) Pte Ltd Infohost Pte Ltd Hettich Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

Hospital Planning

Building Blocks of Information Few of us are engineers and architects, but these easily digested nuggets of information will give us a glimpse of the progress that is happening at our site in Jurong.

Our contractor uses a dumper, those typically used in mining for the building of our new Hospitals.

Excavation Progress

222,000m

That is nearly 90 Olympic-size swimming pools of earth and soil for Phase 1 and about 120 Olympic-size swimming pools of earth and soil for Phase 2.

3

Earth and soil

What is a dumper?

are excavated in Phase 1.

It is a truck used for transporting loose material (such as sand, gravel, or dirt) for construction.

302,000m3

Earth and soil are excavated in Phase 2, and targeted to be complete by mid-April 2012.

To date,

72,000m

3

The amount of steel bars used is nearly the weight of 32 Airbus A380s.

of concrete

1849

micropiles USED It is another type of pile which acts as a supporting structure to transfer the load from the building to the ground. As the name implies, micropile is small diameter piles constructed by the drilling process and are often keyed into rock.

9000 tons of steelbars

We are now moving to Superstructure stage in 2012. So what do Superstructure and Substructure mean? Engage makes it easy for you!

Superstructure: The part of a building above the foundation.

Substructure: The foundation or framework for a building.

Building up in 2012 – what to expect • • • •

Award of main tender Construction of Jurong Gateway Road Medical equipment procurement Interior design session

17 The Give and Take Spirit at Alexandra Hospital We are growing and ramping up for our new hospitals in the West! With the burgeoning number of employees who will be joining us in the coming months, Engage reports on the creative ways in which we are tackling the space crunch at AH.

True to the pioneering spirit of JurongHealth, 30 departments such as MRO, MMD and Psychology have volunteered to be relocated or make do with smaller working spaces to accommodate new colleagues who are coming on board! In the spirit of recycling and being environmentally friendly, our colleagues from departments such as Allied Health Psychology, and Medical Affairs - Research, have also chosen to work with recycled office furniture.

Kudos to their exemplary willingness to think out of the box in creating more value around their new workspaces to add additional 250 workstations and hot-desks above the original 500.

HAPPENINGS

Nutrition Starts at Home!

They say that the key to a man’s heart is through his stomach, we cannot agree more! In fact, we feel that the key to a healthy family is through their stomachs as Dietitians’ Day sheds some light on this little pearl of wisdom.

To celebrate Dietitians’ Day on 16 March 2012, our Dieticians hosted 16 girls from The Pertapis Centre for Women & Girls’ to share the benefits of healthy eating and cooking with them and their families who formed 10 mother-daughter teams Aptly named ‘To Health with Love’, the one-day nutrition programme - organised in partnership with Health Promotion Board and student volunteers from Singapore Polytechnic - aimed to strengthen the relationships between the mothers and daughters and increase their nutritional knowledge, shopping and cooking skills.

Said Lim Ruey Jiun, Dietician, “It was an amazing experience for us. We are really glad to have had the chance to create the “To Nutrition with Love” programme in collaboration with the

Health Promotion Board (HPB). The programme imbued nutritional knowledge and strengthened the relationships between the daughters and mums. We were so touched when the mums and daughters lovingly embraced each other with hugs and tears during the Appreciation Time.

We feel the programme was a huge success, especially when our hearts were warmed upon receiving the numerous compliments from the mothers and daughters. We hope to be involved in more similar programmes in the future.”

Echoing a similar sentiment was Nuraishah Abdullah, Senior Executive, Youth Community and Parent Outreach, Youth Health Division, HPB, “The participants found the knowledge and experience useful and refreshing, and encouraged them to adopt a healthier lifestyle from now on.”

Dietitians’ Day 16 March 2012 Morning Session at Singapore Polytechnic 8.00am – 9.00am: Workshop 1 (Women’s Nutrition) 9.00am – 9.15am: Morning Tea Break 9.15am – 10.00am: Cooking Demonstration by Celebrity Chef – Forrest Leong 10.00am – 12.15pm: Cooking Competition by the girls (while mums prepare cards for their daughters) 12.15pm – 1.30pm: Lunch & Prayer

Afternoon Session at Alexandra Hospital 1.45pm – 2.45pm: Workshop 2 (Nutrition in Practice) 2.45pm – 3.00pm: Afternoon Tea Break 3.30pm – 4.30pm: Supermarket trail competition at Cold Storage, Anchorpoint 4.45pm – 5.15pm: Discussion 5.15pm – 5.45pm: Appreciation time between daughters and mums, award ceremony and finale

19 Reaching Out to Our Residents @ Jurong East Making our presence felt in the West, we were at Jurong East St 21 for a “Residents Gathering cum Health Check” in collaboration with Jurong East View Resident’s Committee on 24 February 2012.

Graced by Mdm Halimah Yacob, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth & Sports and MP for Jurong GRC, over 80 residents had their blood pressure taken, glucose and cholesterol checked. They also received goodie bags with useful health brochures and a loaf of wholemeal bread in them!

To our next event in the West!

HAPPENINGS

Honouring History 70 years after the fall of Singapore in World War II, a group of extraordinary people returned to Alexandra Hospital (AH) to rekindle old friendships, and honour the memory of those who lost their lives in the war.

The Ex-Prisoners of War & Relatives Association gathered at AH Gardens on 14 February 2012, in this special pilgrimage.

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Engineers the Royal f o t h g ri s copy Photograph

Museum

The Alexandra Military Hospital & the Alexandra Massacre

Photog raphs c opyrigh Royal E t of th nginee e rs Mus eum

A recount by Colonel T.R. Beaton (Retd) Alexandra Hospital began as the British Military Hospital (BMH). The construction of the then BMH on 32 acres with all its supporting buildings, commenced in late 1938 with the hospital alone estimated to cost 265,000 pounds.

The site selection was controversial then because of the threat of war. Its access by Ayer Rajah Road, the nearby railway, and the Normanton Oil Storage tanks, were military targets.

The hospital was built mainly by Samsui women who were descended migrants from San Shui near Guandong in China. They were supervised by Royal Engineers and construction was completed in the late 1939 and built for 356 beds.

The War The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) launched its attack on Singapore on 8 February 1942 with main advance through the north-west. At BMH, the supply of water was severely reduced. There were no laundry facilities and dirty linen laid in piles. Water had been hastily stored in baths, hand basins and containers, and strictly rationed to one pint per day per person.

pyright phs co a r s g o t Pho gineer yal En o R d n e a h l Br of t nd Wil a m u Muse

HAPPENINGS Evacuation of Nurses and Wounded

The Japanese landed on beaches in Northern Malaya and advanced down the penninsula to Singapore.

Sunday, 8 February 1942 Nurses were told to prepare for evacuation by Matron Jones who asked for eight volunteers to stay and attend to the sick and wounded.

Photographs courtesy of the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives of Singapore.

Tuesday, 10 February 1942 The Sisters’ Mess was pounded by enemy aircraft. There were holes in all walls on the floor of the Sisters’ Quarters and most windows were shattered. According to missionary nurse, Edith Stevenson, an anti-aircraft gun near the Mess made the building a target.

Wednesday, 11 February 1942 Some 30 nursing sisters were evacuated on SS Empire Star. Matron Jones and about 80 remained, and the wounded were happy to know that they had not been deserted.

Friday, 13 February 1942 Matron Jones and seven nurses were ordered to be evacuated, as news received that IJA were killing nurses who remained behind in Hong Kong.

The Alexandra Massacre Saturday, 14 February 1942 0800 hrs A Japanese observation balloon was spotted and the entire Alexandra area was subjected to shellfire and bombing. BMH was trapped between advancing IJA and retreating allies.

1000 hrs Shells struck BMH.

1300hrs First IJA platoon was spotted from the upstairs verandah advancing from Ayer Rajah Rd with a second platoon advancing towards The Sisters’ Quarters. A third platoon attacked from across the railway.

About 100 IJA attacked and retreating Indian troops of 44th Indian Brigade fired from the side of hospital buildings before withdrawing.

The first platoon from the railway assaulted the areas around the ancillary buildings heading to front of hospital and barrack block.

Photographs courtesy of the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives of Singapore.

The second platoon attacked through rear entrance admission rooms, medical wards No. 5 and No. 6 and the patients’ dining room. The third came through the windows to the operating theatre block and Surgical Ward No. 16 and No. 17.

The advancing IJA troops shot men running for cover on the hospital grounds. They then went on the rampage, indiscriminately bayoneting or shooting medical staff, patients and one chaplain.

1330hrs Within 30 minutes, the first massacre was apparently over and some control restored. Some 200 men were also being rounded up from the upper levels by the IJA, tied together with hands bound and herded across the railway and confined to a bungalow with 50-70 men per room. Those who fell were bayoneted and left for dead. As the fighting in the area was still intense, these men were also subjected to Allied shellfire.

Sunday, 15 February 1942 Early morning – A junior IJA officer ordered men out of bungalow, claiming to be moving them behind enemy lines and promising water along the way.

Moved out by pairs and after over 100 left, it was then realised that the men were being executed.

Those who tried to run were shot. Suddenly, the area was hit by allied shellfire and the end of building was hit, doors and windows torn off.

Several men dashed from the building and most were shot down. Only some lucky few managed to get to a bush surrounding a storm drain.

Later in day, IJA allowed no medical activities.

The surviving staff and patients, now POWs, cleaned up the wards and Ward 6 was turned into a mortuary.

0800hrs The unconditional surrender was signed.

23 ex-Prisoners of War visit Tuesday, 14 February 2012 Did you know, 13, 14 and 15 February were traumatic days some 70 years ago at the then BMH, (now AH)? It was during those days that the infamous Alexandra Massacre occurred.

70 years later on 14 February 2012, our hospital played host to a group of Australian POWs and their families as Singapore (and our neighbouring countries) remembers WWII. Leading the delegation were our Chief Operating Officer, Director of Nursing, Nurse Sisters, Director of Communications & Service Quality and Operations colleagues.

Monday, 16 February 1942 Large numbers of IJA troops looted the hospital in search of spoils. They threatened staff with bayonets as they searched for valuables, watches, rings, cigarettes etc. They ransacked the supplies.

Looting ceased when some senior IJA medical staff arrived and instructed guards to protect the hospital. No further deaths occurred.

Later a high ranking IJA officer inspected the hospital and allegedly expressed his regret for the incident, and it happened because the hospital is sited between two important military targets, the oil tanks at the front and the barracks at the back.

It is estimated that 200 staff and patients lost their lives in the Alexandra Massacre (14-15 February 1942).

Photographs courtesy of the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives of Singapore.

Apart from conducting a Service of Remembrance, our staff chit chatted with those on the tour and found out from one of them that she lost her husband at “the Alexandra Massacre”, but wanted to be here at his “resting place”.

Another was here for his father, who escaped the WWII but was too frail to make the trip.

In his own words, “I wanted to see for myself what it was like for him (then).”

The delegation made stops at the Tunnel, wards and chapel and other symbolic places synonymous with the then BMH.

Musings

The Two Faces of Facebook

People who take small breaks between tasks were 9% more productive than their colleagues who did not.

Our thoughts and attitudes towards social media at work.

Admit it. 95% of us would have at some point Facebook at work, at the expense of our precious office working hours. For the remaining 5% who don’t, no applause for you either, because you probably do not have a Facebook account, and should therefore be living somewhere in like Zimbabwe or Timbuktu.

Some would argue that Facebook is no longer just a time-wasting application for poking people and liking videos - it’s a critical part of their daily communications with co-workers, colleagues, and others within their industry.

I know of people who are so guilt-ridden by their perpetual office Facebook habits that they have invested heavily in state-of-the-art privacy filter screens for their laptops. These gadgets offer some form of protection from the prying eyes of your colleagues, when you are busily cyber-stalking your neighbours and spying on your best friends’ latest fling.

According to Nucleus Research, Facebook causes a 1.5% decrease in employee productivity. Loosely translated, it means that employers are losing 1.5 workers per 100 in employee productivity to the supposed time-wasting activity known as “Facebooking.”

87% of respondents admitted that their time on Facebook at work had no business-related purpose.

And this technically means there is not much of a reason to be prowling cyberspace when you are in the office.

Hypothetically, it is sufficient to say that we should evaluate our social media policy and blocking Facebook may actually result in a 1.5 percent gain in productivity.

Loafing at work existed long before the existence of Facebook or maybe before the computer was invented. Short mental breaks at work were in the form of mindless gossip at the pantry; a stroll from one department to another with a file as a prop; and even sitting on a toilet bowl to catch a power nap.

Employers are losing 1.5 workers per 100 in employee productivity to the supposed time-wasting activity known as “Facebooking.”

We don’t really need Facebook to show off our lazy streak.

Another research from Dr Brent Coker, University of Melbourne, concluded that people who took small breaks between tasks were 9% more productive than their colleagues who did not. He said that “it gives them a chance to reset their concentration.”

Suffice to say, apart from a quantifiable jump in employee productivity, Facebook comes along with a string of other benefits, including professional networking opportunities and quick replies from fellow co-workers, especially for straightforward queries.

Despite the upside of “facebooking” at work, there is always perception to manage. I can almost bet my last dollar that most of us will be quick to judge when we see a colleague on a social media site.

“Very free and nothing to do!”

“So free, can Facebook!”

In fact, I think I’ll cringe in horror if my boss, or worse CEO passes by my desk with my screen on a Facebook window, and not something more intelligent, like Microsoft Powerpoint.

With all said and done, Facebook can work for an organisation but it can also be a big time waster.

Social media savvy users should know when and how to use such platforms to communicate.

As with all other things, moderation is key.

Knowing the strengths of Facebook and its ilk will ensure that work quality and productivity be kept at the highest levels. Hence, there is no need to go draconic and ban Facebook at work. Social media is here to stay.

And by the way, have you “Like” us on Facebook?

Please do so at www.facebook.com/juronghealthservices