Engage @ JurongHealth - Issue 18

engage OCT-DEC 2013 | ISSUE 18

@JurongHealth

06-07

16-17

One Queue, One Bill and

Sweet treats at SQ Awards

Feature

One Episode of Care

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Service Quality

21-24 Employee Engagement

Family Appreciation Day

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HIGHLIGHTS

04-05 SPOTLIGHT

06-15

FOCUS

CEO Memo

Feature

16-17 SQ AWARDS

18-19 Service Quality

20

Hospital Planning

21-24

Employee Engagement

25-27

HAPPENINGS

28

MUSINGS Writer Jacinta Leow

We bring you excerpts from the CEO year-end memo as we end a fruitful 2013 with significant progress and notable achievements as a JurongHealth Family, as well as intensify transition efforts to our new hospitals in the west.

Looking forward to the opening of the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) in 2014 On Wednesday, 17 December 2014 at 8am, we plan to open NTFGH to better serve the healthcare needs of western Singapore! We have been looking forward to this day and I am sure all of us must be very excited as we start the new year.

A fruitful 2013!

The most visible sign of our progress is the towering structures of the Clinic and Ward towers of NTFGH on site, in time for our opening in December 2014. Beyond the hardware of the new hospital infrastructure, our teams have also been working hard and making good progress to implement critical software such as our new Epic electronic medical records (EMR) system for better integrated care.

With just 12 months away from the opening of NTFGH in December 2014 and Jurong Community Hospital (JCH) following closely in 2015, I am most happy to see how the heartware of our people is developing. We are now 3,000 strong comprising many colleagues who are passionate about making a difference to our patients and our community. We need more people who genuinely care for others and to grow a patient-centred culture, starting at AH. Emerging top in the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) in March 2013 and second in the MOH Patient Satisfaction Survey in November 2012, reaffirms our efforts and drive to work even harder to build a stronger foundation for the future.

Growing as a regional health system for the west Last year, we successfully launched the Integrated Care Programme (ICP) for COPD and benefited patients by enlisting the cooperation of general practitioners (GP), polyclinics, community hospital and care managers. In the pipeline are ICPs for diabetes, stroke, heart failure and hip fracture. In June this year, we also opened the Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic with 10 like-minded private GPs to better look after patients with chronic diseases. Other programmes such as SAFE (sub-acute ambulatory care for functionally challenged and elderly) have successfully kept re-admission rates within target through proactive management of vulnerable patients in the community. More have been planned to better engage our primary care GPs and health promotion for the community.

Editor Tessa Monteiro Editorial Advisor Casey Chang

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Forging ahead in 2014 Moving forward, we must continue to nurture our culture which is enlivened by being patient-centred, in an organisation that genuinely cares for every member of the JurongHealth family, founded on living our values. This will be the foundation of all that we do and each of us has a responsibility. We must continue to direct all of our collective energies towards achieving our goals of BEST+++ with the successful opening of NTFGH on 17 December 2014 as the key priority.

To open NTFGH timely and safely on 17 December 2014, we have made various arrangements for a gradual reduction of workload at AH and a gradual increase after opening to allow our staff time to familiarise with the new care settings and technologies. For example, we have worked with MOH and SCDF to stop sending ambulance cases to AH a month before and three months after opening, except the serious standby cases. Other details about safely moving our remaining inpatients at AH to the new hospitals; and ensuring that current patients receive appropriate follow-up care are also being looked into.

Jurong Medical Centre (JMC) is an important part of this transition strategy and we will see workload shift from AH to JMC. We will augment the operational and manpower resources/capabilities at JMC and make some changes to the structure to facilitate this.

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We can do it! Let’s succeed together!!

2014 will indeed be an exciting year for all of us and we can do it. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all staff for your commitment and also to your family members for their understanding and support. The key to our progress has been the tireless contribution by each and every member of the JurongHealth family who live our IPOEM values daily. Going the extra mile at AH to ensure that our patients are cared for like our loved ones and collaborating as a team to ensure delivery of quality care, certainly bode well for our mission to look after the population in the west.

I know it is not easy handling, managing and leading start-up work and there are times we may feel overwhelmed. I am also aware that many of us have made personal sacrifices to ensure that we succeed. Let us take heart, support each other and look forward to the successful opening of NTFGH and JCH! I would like to also especially thank our Chairman and Board members for their unfailing and encouraging support and guidance during this journey.

I would like to also especially thank our Chairman and Board members for their unfailing and encouraging support and guidance during this journey.

I am counting on you!

Foo Hee Jug CEO, JurongHealth

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SPOTLIGHT

Behind Service Operations Call Centre Hot on the heels of the profile on Operations Support Services in the last Engage, we feature Service Operations in this issue. Comprising five departments, it is headed by Mr Ng Kian Swan, Assistant Chief Operating Officer (Service Operations) and Director, Jurong Medical Centre and Jurong Community Hospital Operations.

Service Operations is responsible for front line services (operational and administrative) at Alexandra Hospital and Jurong Medical Centre. Consisting of a team of operations and administrative staff, it aims to provide excellent service to patients and visitors through good communication, service coordination and attention to the individual needs of patients and their families.

In addition, the team collaborates with departments such as clinical, nursing, allied health, finance, operational support services, etc., to ensure that patient safety, clinical quality and patient satisfaction is at the forefront of every interaction between our staff and patients and visitors.

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Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs) Specialist clinics provide consultation and treatment to the public and the hospital’s discharged inpatients who require specialist care on an outpatient basis. It also comprises multidisciplinary specialist outpatient services.

These services are vital in the healthcare system between acute inpatient and primary care services.

SOCs provide patients with access to: •

medical, surgical and allied health professionals for assessment, diagnosis and treatment • ongoing specialist management of chronic and complex conditions in collaboration with community providers • pre- and post-hospital care Internally, patients are referred to specialist clinics by specialists as well as clinicians in the Emergency Department, inpatient units and other areas of the hospital.

In addition, our specialist clinics provide clinical, diagnostic and ancillary support to general practitioners (GPs), nursing homes and other healthcare providers within the vicinity. Through our SOCs, private and public healthcare provider partnerships can be fostered. This arrangement improves the coordination and delivery of healthcare services; allows the primary care providers to draw on the clinical expertise of our specialists; and facilitates seamless movement of patients between SOCs and the community setting. Public-private sector cooperation will help accelerate access to healthcare and treatment in the community.

We offer a wide variety of services around the clock with the objective of providing top-notch service to both our external (polyclinics and GPs) and internal customers (our staff). Our Call Centre responds to the various needs of these customers in a reliable, accurate way as we understand the importance of getting the right person the right information at the right time.

Our Call Centre is staffed with specially trained call agents to provide the most efficient and personalised service. We ensure that all callers speak to a “live” operator promptly without going through an automated system or voicemail.

Our Call Centre staff helps to direct patients to appropriate care levels, improving work flow within the hospital and customer satisfaction.

Services include: • • • •

scheduling of appointments assisting with general public enquires health education and counselling provision of support to referral channels such as polyclinics, GPs, nursing homes, etc • emergency/code blue activation • teletriage - a safe and effective way of providing health-related advice delivered by healthcare professionals via the telephone.

Our patients speak with our nurse practitioner or triage specialists who may then be directed to a primary care physician, a specialist or the emergency room.

Our MRO ensures the medical records are wellmaintained and easily retrievable so that patients can be seen on time and the medical staff and hospital administrators can work efficiently.

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05 Bed Management Unit Efficient patient throughput requires a high degree of coordination and communication. At AH, the Bed Management Unit (BMU) uses an electronic system to improve the bed turnover of the patient throughput process.

Admissions Office Admission to Alexandra Hospital (AH) is through the Emergency Department (ED), elective (nonemergency) surgery, tests or special procedures.

The Admissions Office is committed to facilitating the admission, discharge and transfer of all patients in a seamless manner. It ensures that the information obtained from each patient is clear, concise, accurate and kept confidential at all times, and orientates patients, relatives, and families with the hospital admissions process and information requirements. With this approach, patients and family members will be more prepared and less anxious as they know what to expect.

We understand that it can be very hard for patients to communicate with the healthcare team when English is not their first language. To allay their anxiety, we also arrange for an interpreter to facilitate communication.

BMU is responsible for the allocation and provision of beds. The “bed” in this context represents not just a place for the patient to sleep, but the required hospital services such as admission process, physician consultation, nursing care, necessary diagnostic work, appropriate treatment, and so forth. It is therefore essential that beds are managed well and used efficiently. From the patient’s point of view, it is important that there are enough beds to ensure that:

Medical Records Office (MRO) Medical records are clinical, scientific, administrative and legal documents relating to patient care in which sufficient data is recorded by trained observers as per a sequence of events to justify the diagnosis and therapy given, and the results are in accordance with reasonable expectation of present day scientific medical care.

• patients do not have to wait for a bed in an emergency • planned admissions for surgery are not cancelled because of a lack of beds • patients are admitted to wards that are appropriate to their clinical needs.

The MRO is responsible for maintaining medical records in a standardised and professional manner to protect patient confidentiality, while allowing caregivers access to the required medical records for treatment and care. For accuracy, all information is concentrated in the original medical records, which is then indexed and filed in the MRO. Transcription, diagnosis coding, and release of information are some of the other major duties performed in the MRO.

The BMU also provides support to other restructured hospitals in the event that they need to admit or decant a patient to AH due to a shortage of beds.

Our MRO ensures the medical records are wellmaintained and easily retrievable so that patients can be seen on time and the medical staff and hospital administrators can work efficiently.

Service Initiatives by Service Operations

Delighting our Customers Our service operations colleagues are encouraged to proactively look into ways to delight and wow our patients and visitors. The key is to design an end-to-end patient experience accordingly at every touch point. Some of the initiatives include making information available more consistently, improving access options, following up on telephone calls, serving food and drinks via the “Happy Cart”, and paying attention to details like offering blankets to patients who are cold.

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“TEN, FIVE, first and last” service rule We use the Ten, Five, first and last service rule to serve our patients and visitors. Standing at 10 feet away from patients and visitors, our staff will acknowledge them with eye contact. At five feet, staff greet them with “Good morning/afternoon/ evening” and a smile. Staff are also the first and last to speak.

One Queue, One Bill initiative The One Queue, One Bill initiative was piloted at Jurong Medical Centre on 2 December 2013 to provide a smoother and more hassle-free experience for patients, enabling them to receive efficient, seamless, comfortable and accessible care. With this fuss-free and hassle-free system, patients only require one queue number and pay just once at the end of the clinic visit.

The One Queue, One Bill concept will be implemented at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital in December 2014 and 2015 respectively.

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Feature

One Queue, One Bill and One Episode Of Care In addition to the OneCARE EMR (Epic) system, JurongHealth’s digital landscape comprises a suite of business systems, supporting applications and IT infrastructure required to facilitate operations at the new Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH), Jurong Community Hospital (JCH) and Jurong Medical Centre (JMC).

Collectively, they are referred to as non-EMR projects.

Initiatives On One Queue, One Bill And One Episode Of Care JurongHealth is currently leveraging the enhancement of SAP patient registration system (SAP-ISH) to meet JurongHealth’s requirements to implement One Queue, One Bill and One Episode of Care. The enhancement will be implemented at NTFGH, JCH and JMC. It allows flexibilities of different charging rules and claims’ needs while meeting the requirement of one-seamless patient experience.

One Queue SAP-ISH and Queue System integration

One Episode of Care SAP-ISH and Epic integration

The new queue system will generate a single queue number upon patient registration. Once registered, the patient will given an itinerary slip with a unified queue number. This queue number will be transmitted via SAP-ISH to the EMR-Epic system to synchronise the queue number for the patient.

Upon patient registration, SAP-ISH provides a unique identifier (case number) to the EMR-Epic system to enable the recognition of the patient movement from acute care at NTFGH to step down care at JCH.

The itinerary slip will contain all the patient’s scheduled appointments for the day who will use this same queue number at various service points across NTFGH, JCH and JMC without having to remember different queue numbers at different service points.

The new IT system, which will manage the queue number, is known as Enterprise Queue Management System (EQMS) and has been awarded to ATT Systems (Singapore) Pte Ltd. One Bill Customisation to SAP-ISH The objective of the One Bill implementation is to enhance the patient’s experience across the three institutions by presenting a consolidated bill for all services provided. One Bill’s capability will be built on top of the existing SAP-ISH billing function to consolidate the billing of all the services rendered to the same patient across the different entities based on different charging rules.

From the patient’s perspective, the One Bill presentation will show information of third party payers for ease of payment without the need to go through separate bills.

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The unique identifier will be synchronised between the two systems to enable the integration of patient movement information and posting of charges from EMR-Epic to SAP-ISH via the realtime interface engine. This integration provides the care providers with a holistic view of patient’s care path across different levels of care setting regardless of the patient’s location.

The Challenges Getting the different vendors to perform an end-toend integrated testing at the same time is the main challenge. The project schedule for SAP, Queue system and Epic have to be aligned in order to achieve a complete cycle of integrated testing in time for the opening of our new hospitals.

Epic is rolled out at Alexandra Hospital and Jurong Medical Centre Alexandra Hospital (AH) welcomed its first Epic Hyperspace user on 27 November 2013 when Mr Leontius Pradhana, Pharmacist, became the first Subject Matter Expert (SME) to experiment with the system. SMEs hail from different institutions and departments in JurongHealth and have been extensively involved in offering input to guide and

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07

build a user-friendly system. Assisted by Mr Tean Kai Yuan, Application Analyst, Medical Informatics, and Ms Jessica Richards, Application Manager, Epic, Mr Pradhana placed his first medication order into the system. His experience and feedback will guide the Pharmacy team, also known as “Team Willow” to analyse and make useful adjustments to build a truly dynamic system.

Also at Jurong Medical Centre, the One Queue, One Bill initiative was piloted on 2 December 2013 to provide a smoother and more hassle-free experience for patients moving from one service point to another, enabling them to receive efficient, seamless, comfortable and accessible care with one queue number and one payment at the end of their visit. Said Mr Mohammad Thaha, a patient at JMC, “It is so much better for us to make only one payment at the pharmacy after the SOC visit.

It helps to reduce waiting time and is so convenient and hassle-free.”

There will be more updates on our Epic system as we inch closer to our big move. More SMEs are also expected to undergo Epic trials in the months to come as we build a system that is truly ours.

Scenario Inpatient One Bill for admission through Emergency Department Patient’s journey NTFGH Emergency Department

JCH Acute

Home/other care

Step down care

Final discharge

One Bill Tracking and collections

Scenario Patient Visits Outpatient Clinics in NTFGH, JCH and JMC Patient’s journey on a single day JCH

Home/other care

NTFGH Diagnostic Department

Clinic A

Clinic E

Payment

Rehabilitation Single queue number

One Queue journey

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feature

Applying IPOEM to Risk Management This fifth segment of Enterprise Risk Management features how IPOEM can be applied consistently in risk management. Risk management is not just a set of risk registers aimed at compliance. Risk management should be a part of everyone’s work process as we determine how things get done in the context of patient safety and quality care delivery.

IPOEM statements

I P

Integrity

Patient Centredness

O E

Openness

Excellence

M Mutual Respect

Be honest and accountable for our actions, decisions and results

Risk owners and facilitators must be factual when identifying their departmental or divisional risks evaluate the risk likelihood of occurrences and the consequences of each risk being identified based on the actual operational condition of the department

Be professional in the way we care because we are all healthcare professionals regardless of our roles

actively identify any potential risk that may cause harm to the patient and manage it before it materialises as an actual risk

Be curious to learn from anyone and anywhere for improvement

be open to consider the risk and the proposed solutions raised by colleagues in the department

Provide the best, safest and most affordable care possible, centred on the needs of our patients, working together as a cohesive team

adopt a fair and consistent approach to assess the likelihood and consequences of each risk

Be kind and gracious to each other

constantly review the existing controls and improve risk mitigation measures to safeguard patients’ safety

be willing to learn and adopt the best practices that they came across internally or externally.

study all the possible additional controls in place before implementation to ensure effectiveness

be open and listen to the view of all their colleagues regardless of their individual roles not dismiss any risk issues raised by anyone, no matter how small the risk issues are, without giving it serious thought or discussing it within the department

By applying IPOEM in risk management, we will cultivate the risk management mindset in our day-to-day activities.

Over time, the risk to patients, staff and JurongHealth will be minimised in the inherently ‘risky’ healthcare industry.

Everyone has a role to play in managing risks and no voice is too small to be heard. Risk management is a part of building and reinforcing the JurongHealth’s patient-centredness culture.

Risk Management begins with me.

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09 Happy Toilets at Alexandra Hospital The restroom outside the Pharmacy at Alexandra Hospital (AH) has been crowned “Happy Toilet of the Year” by the Restroom Association of Singapore and 18 other toilets at AH have been re-certified “Happy Toilets”. These toilets are located outside the cafeteria, Clinics A, B, C, G, J, K, L and M, auditorium and rehabilitation centre. Judging is based on criteria such as dry and litter-free vanity top; functional and clean taps; working hand dryers; optimised cleaning schedule; having trained cleaners; and fully functional handicapped toilets. The award ceremony was held on 19 November 2013 at the Tampines Regional Library where it was graced by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Prime Minister’s Office, and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, and for the Environment and Water Resources. We thank our Environmental Services team and our partner UE Managed Solution Singapore Pte Ltd for keeping our restrooms in tip top condition!

Relief Efforts for Victims of Typhoon Haiyan We are so proud of our Alexandra Hospital nurses, Ms Noreen binte Taha, Senior Staff Nurse II, Ward 10 (fourth from left) and Mr Abdul Farouk bin Abdul Latiff, Nurse Clinician I, Ward 12 (fifth from left), who were part of the Singapore Red Cross medical team to volunteer their services on a relief mission to the Philippines for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan from 20 to 29 November 2013. We salute you, and to all JurongHealth staff who contributed in various ways to the relief efforts, we thank you for your generosity!

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FEATURE

Raising The Bar Aspiring For Excellence

This year, we organised a total of 21 learning events across JurongHealth and over 2,000 staff participated, which is more than double the figure last year. I am heartened to note that more departments have also been involved in setting up stalls, organising talks and participating in events.

Mr Foo Hee Jug, Chief Executive Officer, JurongHealth Engage_OctDec_FA.indd 10

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11 The QMOC worked closely with an external vendor to develop multiple clinical scenarios for internet-based learning using the popular Quality Detective model that we had pioneered last year. It was well received and the scenarios created can be further used by various disciplines for future training during their orientation.

Dr Chua Chi Siong, Co-chairman, QMOC

It is heartening to see a bigger Quality Month Organising Committee (QMOC) come together every year to plan better events. While Quality Month has come to an end, the journey and aspiration for excellence should continue on in Juronghealth.

Dr Ng Huey Ping, Chairman, QMOC

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feature

d n a s d n r o i a t w a i A c t e n r e p m Ap e v ie h c A

Appreciation Awards These awards were given to committees and workgroups for their contributions and active involvement in quality-related activities: Allied Health Outreach Programme Team Antibiotic Stewardship Programme Workgroup Bioethics Committee Blood Transfusion Committee Cardiac Life Support Committee Clinical Research Committee Clinical Risk Management Committee Clinical Risk Management Sub-committee Correct Site Surgery Workgroup Credentialing & Privileging Committee Endocentre Committee Enterprise Risk Management Committee Falls Safety Sub-committee Infection Control Committee Infection Control Workgroup JCI Steering Committee JMC Clinical Governance Committee JMC Infection Control Workgroup Laboratory Quality Management Committee Laboratory Safety Committee Medical Learning & Development Committee Medication Safety Sub-committee Operating Theatre Committee Patient Safety Committee Patient Safety Workgroup Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee Point of Care Testing Committee Sedation Committee Tissue Audit Committee Trauma Committee Workplace Safety & Health Committee

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Quality Improvement Advocate Award These awards were given to recognise individuals who have been consistently driving quality improvement in their workplace and instilling quality mindset among staff and colleagues: Department Name Admissions Office Ms Noorazlin binte Masjor Allied Health Ms Lee Hee Hoon Clinical Operations Ms Chua Pei Ling Clinical Operations

Ms Rubiah binte Rahman Clinical Operations

Mr Ryan See Clinical Operations

Ms Yang Chunmei Dietetics & Nutrition

Mr Charles Lew Intensive Care Medicine

Dr Lee Eng Kiang Intensive Care Medicine

Dr Somnath Chatterjee Laboratory Medicine

Ms Ong Siew Kim Jurong Community Hospital Mr Abdul Rashid Jailani Laboratory Medicine

Ms Lee Mee Yin Laboratory Medicine

Mr Alvin Yeung Learning & Organisation Development Mr Seah Kian Boon Learning & Organisation Development Mr Shawn Ngiam Medical Records Office

Mr Abdul Majid bin Mohd Said Medical Records Office

Mr Muhamad Hafiz bin Omar Nursing Administration

Ms Helen Nyan Pharmacy

Mr Boey Yit Wei Pharmacy

Mr Choo Sing Meng Pharmacy

Ms Goh Zhining Pharmacy

Ms Hiew Siew Kien Pharmacy

Ms Lew Khei Sheen Pharmacy

Ms Kimmy Liew Pharmacy

Mr Wee Zhen Yang Medical Informatics

Ms Tee Joa Ling Service Operations

Ms Bay Swee Ling Service Operations

Ms Ng Yi Ting Service Operations

Ms Xu Hexin Service Operations Ms Chong Oi Yee Specialist Outpatient Clinics Ms Tan Ai Mei Ward 2

Ms Laura Quak

Quality Improvement Project Award These awards were given to recognise teams which demonstrated outstanding efforts and significant improvement in quality-related projects/ programmes/initiatives Advisory notice to reduce number of specimen rejections in wards Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme Ask-Me-3-Questionnaire Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Integrated Care Pathway Programme Colour coding: A visual guide to determine the level of stock in containers Create safety culture using intraoperative SBAR checklist CSO workflow improvement Decrease processing time of cleaning instruments Diagnostic Initiation Unit Early mobilisation for ortho-geri hip fracture pathway patients ENT TV system colour coded connection guide Happy Cart at SOC Improve delivery of enteral nutrition in the critically ill Improve design of suction catheter holder for staff safety and infection control standards Improve discharge medication turnaround time Improve Endo Case-notes Management Improve patient waiting time in outpatient pharmacy Improve range of motion in wrist fracture patients Increase success rate of patient who have completed four-month weight management programme Insulin Safety IRIS (Incident Reporting Information System) Job redesign for PSA Laboratory investigation of outbreak of OXA-181 producing Klebsiella pneumonia Laryngeal mask handover sheet MRO inventory waste reduction Near-miss tracking by QC Pharmacy Technician Optimise work processes from Turn-Around-Time (TAT) data Patient bedside message board Patient safety in ophthalmic surgery

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13 Pre-packed intravitreal injection requisites Pressure ulcer monitoring chart Prosoft learning management system Quick reference list for Phaco Steps Re-creating supportive environment for a health promoting hospital Red line demarcation between clean and dirty zone Reduce medication error in ICU/HD Reduce number of self-extubation patients Reduce noise level in Major Operating Theatre for patient safety Reduce risk of needle/sharps injury during antibiotic administration in EMD

In addition, there were five winners for the Quality Detective and the T-shirt Design Competition. Congratulations to all our winners!

Reduce time taken for discharged patients to receive final bills Reduce risk of trip and fall in Operating Room Towards healthier food choices in AH Timely actualisation of inpatient transfer from ICU to general ward SOC No-Show Management Standardise injection tray placement Standardise M.A.G.S (mask, apron, gloves, sterile wipes) dispenser in inpatient areas Store room revamp Using “reminder card� to prevent extra sterilisation process Vital Signs Paperless Charting

Appreciation Awards for External Partners To recognise the partnership and support rendered by our external partners to JurongHealth in delivering quality healthcare services:

Goodman Environmental IBM Singapore Integrated Health Information Systems (iHIS) ISS Facility Services Keppel FMO LCM Catering Services

Pestbusters QS-First SCORE Sembwaste Soh & Tan Enterprise UE Managed Solutions Singapore

Here are some pictures of our award winners:

Thanks to the multi-departmental effort for a successful event: Dr Ng Huey Ping (Chairman); Dr Chua Chi Siong (Co-chairman); Ms Koh Leh Choo (Falls Committee); Ms Laura Quak (Falls Committee); Mr Mohamad Abdul Wahab (Medicine Safety Committee); Ms Yeo Li Li (Service Quality); Ms Sarathamani Rethenam (Infection Control); Mr Lee Chee Seng (Innovation & Improvement); Mr Kelvin Lew (Innovation & Improvement); Mr Brian Ng (Innovation & Improvement); Ms Mastura binte Abdullah (Innovation & Improvement); Mr Clay Goh (Innovation & Improvement); Mr Derrick Yeo (Innovation & Improvement); Mr Sim Kay Wee (Innovation & Improvement); Ms Fiona Kam (Workplace Safety and Health Office); Ms Elaine Goh (Joint Commission International), Dr Darell Tupper (Research Committee); Ms Annette Au (Jurong Medical Centre); Ms Jassy Lee (Communications); Ms Jennifer Wee (Enterprise Risk Management); Ms Dionne Lee (Learning & Organisation Development); Ms Joanna Chia (Medical Affairs); Ms Gao Ting (Jurong Community Hospital); Ms Karen Khong (Transition Planning Committee); Ms Wong Siew Choo (Jurong Medical Centre); and Ms Phyllis Ng (Learning & Organisation Development).

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Feature

Quality Risk Management in Clinical Research JurongHealth came together to discuss about quality risk management in clinical research on 25 October 2013. Guided by Ms Sumitra Sachidanandan, a Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Inspection Consultant from the Clinical Trials Branch of the Health Sciences Authority in Singapore, who is responsible for conducting GCP Inspections on clinical trials on medicinal products and quality improvement initiatives for clinical trials. Ms Sumitra outlined how quality risk management can be performed for clinical research from risk identification, risk analysis, risk planning, monitoring and control.

The need for quality in every aspect of a clinical trial can be drawn from the fundamental principles of the Singapore Guideline for Good Clinical Practice. This requires one to perform quality risk management for all parts of a clinical trial.

Quality risk management is not just limited to clinical trials, but can be applied to all types of clinical research studies to varying depths.

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User Experience and Staff Safety A/Prof Chui Yoon Ping, shed some light on user experience on 30 October 2013. She is the Head of “Human Factors in Safety”, an undergraduate degree programme offered by SIM University. She is very passionate about human factors and is constantly raising awareness on the importance of injecting human factors in product design to create a better user experience, and in applying human factors principles to create a safer work environment.

She said improving user experience in the design of service is important – essentially not just improving the usability and safety of the service but also the way people feel about the service. It is about attempting to create a positive experience from using the service.

The same goes for healthcare – how do we ensure a positive experience? What are the issues that we have to be concerned about? What are the challenges involved in creating a positive experience? Just as importantly, how can healthcare workers also have positive experiences?

Mindset Change to Embrace Quality Improvement On 31 October 2013, Mr Kenneth Kwan, a High Performance Strategist, tried to rally staff to consistently be ‘Action Takers’. He questioned whether they knew the biggest obstacle was themselves and encouraged the audience to destroy destructive habits that held them back. Dishing out tips on how to overcome selfdoubt and disbelief, he revealed how ordinary people could be extraordinary.

By staying in the game and being motivated, it is possible to find more fulfilment in what we do. The key was to challenge our inner psyche and move towards an empowered mindset. Mr Kwan advocates changing our mindset first as this will translate into better alignment of organisational values, improved team spirit, higher revenues and trust.

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Cognitive Bias and Simulation-based Education

Practical Aspects in the Control of MDROs

On 31 October, 2013, A/Prof Christine Park came to give a talk. She is an Associate Professor of Anaesthesiology and Center for Education in Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, US. She is also Director, Simulation Technology and Immersive Learning at the university. A/Prof Park said clinical performance may be compromised when cognitive bias interferes with proper decision-making.

A cognitive bias is a pattern of deviation in judgment, whereby inferences about other people and situations may be drawn in an illogical fashion. Individuals create their own “subjective social reality” from their perception of the input. This may sometimes lead to perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgment, illogical interpretation, or what is broadly called irrationality.

A/Prof Asok Kurup of Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore spoke about taking baby steps in fighting the war against an invisible enemy on 31 October 2013. He said that Singapore has its fair share of multidrug resistant organisms causing hospital-acquired infections. Infection control measures are crucial in complementing other efforts to stamp out this menace.

Auditing compliance states that hand hygiene should be seen as an opportunity for direct education of the errant healthcare worker.

When decisions need to be made and executed quickly, individuals may be even more prone to bias, which leads to cognitive error.

Decision-making biases are systematic errors rather than random ones and represent failures to make optimal decisions. She explained that as cognitive bias may result in exclusion of appropriate actions or deviation from an algorithm, patient care and safety may be threatened.

A/Prof Park taught the audience how training may induce cognitive bias, and introduced the types of cognitive bias and its potential to impact patient safety.

She rounded up by teaching the audience the potential methods to mitigate bias and improve educational quality.

The bulk of the work of an infection control officer is in the ‘field’ looking for possible breaches in practices and offering immediate solutions. They are the role models for fellow colleagues.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to get everyone on the same page of infection control. Education, patience, role modelling, careful auditing, and root cause analysis are just measures that scratch the surface in the fight against MDROs.

90 Minutes: Open Conversation on What Matters JurongHealth joined Mr Lim Yong Wah, Chairman; Mr Foo Hee Jug, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), A/Prof Cheah Wei Keat, Chairman, Medical Board (CMB); and Mrs Nellie Yeo, Chief Quality Officer of National Healthcare Group and Executive Director of National Healthcare Group College on 6 November, 2013 for a forum on improving healthcare delivery.

In February 2013, an inquiry into a hospital in Mid Staffordshire revealed widespread system failure on the protection of patients’ safety and well-being. Taking this case as an example, the panel questioned the causes of this widespread failure. Was it a result of bad policies or the failings of a group of individuals?

CMB tried to inspire the audience with tales of Florence Nightingale and listed some key indicators that are necessary for improved patient care such as good leadership, lifelong learning, always listening (to patients and staff), and transparency. CEO added love as another vital factor and stressed that patient safety should be taken personally so that when we make mistakes, we do not make excuses for ourselves. He agreed with CMB that moving from a culture of fear to openness was important and that we must have the courage to address wrong behaviour.

Chairman agreed that love was essential to patient care delivery and said that healthcare staff must have a genuine love for people. Only then would they be truly concerned for patients.

To sum up, healthcare delivery is a complex system of interlinked and interdependent processes and errors can sometimes happen. However, the panel cautioned against making light of these errors, and over time, legitimising them.

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Service Quality

Sweet Treats at SQ Awards JurongHealth was transported to candyland at the most recent Service Quality (SQ) Awards where staff were treated to all kinds of sweets imaginable from gummy bears, lollipops, donuts, ice-cream and chocolate bars.

On 3 October 2013, SQ Department brought out the inner child in us by staging a ‘sweet’ SQ Awards. No staff could resist a photo opportunity with the candy house made entirely of balloons. We felt like we were transported to Hansel and Gretel’s fantasy world. Entering the Auditorium, one would have been dizzy from the aroma coming from the expansive array of sweets and chocolates. What sweetened the deal was that one of the vendors was AII Enterprise, a social enterprise which hires the hearing-impaired.

We were heartened to know that while we were enjoying ourselves, we had done a good dead!

This time round, 56 winners received the Service Ambassador, Outstanding Service Star, and CEO and CMB awards to loud cheers as colleagues rallied deserving recipients. Separately, Ward 1, Emergency Medicine and Dental clinched the coveted SQ Team Awards. Congratulations to all our winners and remember to always inject a dose of sweetness in your interactions with everyone!

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17

CEO & CMB SQ Award Winner Department Ward 1

Name Ms Selvamary Francis

Designation Patient Care Assistant

Service Ambassador Award Winners Department Anaesthesia

Audiology

Clinic A

Clinic J

Dental

Ear, Nose and Throat - Head & Neck Surgery Ear, Nose and Throat - Head & Neck Surgery Emergency

Emergency

General Services Housekeeping

Operations

Service Operations Medical Social Services Medicine

Medicine

Medicine

Pharmacy

Pharmacy

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation

Specialist Outpatient Clinics Specialist Outpatient Clinics Specialist Outpatient Clinics Surgery Ward 1 Ward 2

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Name Dr Tan Tee Yong

Ms Salcedo Eliza Anna Torres

Ms Hafidah Bte Arshad @ Hafidah Bte Sawi Ms Siew Ah Pin A/Prof Adrian Yap Dr Eng Chee Yean

Designation Visiting Consultant Audiologist Assistant Nurse Clinician Senior Staff Nurse II Senior Consultant/Director Consultant

Dr Ranjit Gabriel Magherra

Senior Consultant

Ms Dandan Edmyralyn Gaspar

Ms Kavitha A/P Wenkatesaraub Mr Peter Leong Mr Raymond Mongangey

Ms Thanaletchumi d/o Seemaraj Ms Adeline Chia

Ms Menon Krutika

Dr Tey Beng Hea Dr Kenneth Koo Dr Choo Chuan Gee

Mr Eric Kwan

Ms Nyamhamba Vimbainashe Lorraine Mr Roy Chia

Mr Dunne John Conleth Ms Nur Amirah binte Abd Raub

Ms Tasker Olivia Natascha Sonomara Ms Catherine Willett

Ms Felicia Chew

Ms Nurul Farlini binte Sudin Ms Sequeena Yeong

Dr Low Shiong Wen Ms Yan Lingxia Ms Condino Celina Francisco

Staff Nurse II Healthcare Assistant Senior Patient Greeter Housekeeper Senior Patient Service Associate Patient Relations Associate Medical Social Worker Senior Consultant/Director Consultant Consultant Pharmacy Assistant Pharmacist Senior Podiatry Assistant Physiotherapist Physiotherapist Podiatrist Principal Podiatrist Patient Service Associate Patient Service Associate Plaster Technician Associate Consultant Enrolled Nurse II Senior Enrolled Nurse II

Ward 3 Ward 4 Ward 7 Ward 7 Ward 10 Ward 10 Ward 11 Ward 12 Ward 13 Ward 14

Ms Siti Shuhaila binte Ali

Mr Poh Kian Hua Ms Lee Liew Chiang

Ms Neo Li Ling

Ms Maria binte Muhamad Suparman Ms Salina binti Mohamed Nasir Ms Li Na

Ms Sorongon Cathy Gonzales Mr Nazrin Shah bin Azman

Ms Rachelena d/o Balu

Enrolled Nurse I Enrolled Nurse I Staff Nurse II Staff Nurse I Patient Care Assistant Staff Nurse II Staff Nurse II Staff Nurse I Enrolled Nurse I Staff Nurse II

Outstanding Service Star Award Winners Department Name Emergency Medicine Ms Junaidah binte Ja’afar Emergency Medicine Dr Soh Poh Choong

Medicine

Dr Lee See Muah Physiotherapy

Ms Maswati Lehwan Radiology

Ms Malathy d/o Subramaniam Rehabilitation

Mr Chandorkar Pranav Vijay Rehabilitation

Mr Mark Anthony Chan

Specialist Outpatient Clinics Ms Lee Jennie Raquin Ward 10

Ms Jasveer Kaur

Ward 13

Ms Jaya Jothi d/o S Thoondi

Designation Patient Service Associate Principal Resident Physician Senior Consultant Therapy Assistant Senior Staff Nurse I Physiotherapist Physiotherapist Patient Service Associate Enrolled Nurse II Senior Staff Nurse II

Service Champ Award Winners Department Name Designation Medicine

Dr Tagore Rajat Senior Consultant/Director Radiology

Ms Gamboa Maritess Sarmiento Radiographer Specialist Outpatient Clinics Mr Dasuki bin Kassan

Senior Plaster Technician Ward 1

Ms Li Feng

Enrolled Nurse II Ward 7

Ms Dayola Jefelin Grace Reynaldo Staff Nurse I

SQ Team Award Winners Department Ward 1 Emergency Medicine Clinic E1 and E2

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Service Improvement

Emergency Department Initiative Reduces Waiting Time for Patients A new Diagnostic Initiation Unit (DIU) has been rolled out at the Emergency Department (ED) to ease waiting time. Applicable to Patient Acuity Categorisation 3 patients with minor emergencies, DIU combines triage, registration and consultation into a single step to reduce waiting time. The DIU doctor is equipped to perform an initial assessment of a patient’s health based on a physical examination and comments recorded at triage. Investigations are also ordered on the spot. DIU benefits patients from consultations that do not need further investigations. With DIU, they also get discharged sooner and do not overcrowd ED. Thanks to DIU, the waiting time at ED has been reduced by 34 per cent or the equivalent of 20 minutes of waiting time! This was confirmed by Service Quality, which verified that the number of complaints on waiting time has since reduced.

Improved Communication at Pharmacy Service Quality received feedback from a concerned caregiver recently regarding varying prescription charges at Alexandra Hospital and polyclinics.

We highlight her concern here:

My mother was given three months of prescription medicine at your hospital recently. As she is 84 years old and her health is unstable, I purchased one month of medication first. I checked with your pharmacy and was told I could purchase the rest of it at a polyclinic later. When I visited the polyclinic, they told me that my mother had to pay the rate of a private patient. If I had known this, I would have purchased a three-month supply.

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Following the feedback, Pharmacy reviewed its processes to avoid further miscommunication to patients and caregivers. From 18 November 2013, patients who visit our Pharmacy with a prescription from another hospital/or polyclinic will be informed that they will not enjoy subsidised rates. Likewise, our subisidised patients would be informed in advance to collect all their medication from our Pharmacy if they wish to enjoy subsidised rates.

Varying i.e. higher charges will apply if they choose to collect medication elsewhere. We thank Service Quality and Pharmacy for their collaboration to improve patient experience.

Got a service improvement you think we should know about? Write to Service Quality at joyce_chin@juronghealth.com.sg to get yourself heard! All contributors of suggestions that get implemented will each receive a “Thank You” card!

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19

Compliments

Clinic M The staff at Clinic M are always helpful whenever I come for check-ups.

Endoscopy Centre All the nurses were kind, courteous and efficient. My appreciation to Mr Foo Hee Jug, CEO, for introducing the coffee/tea and biscuits for patients waiting to see the doctor. This hospital is the first I know that gives out free drinks. I was surprised and pleased to be served with free coffee.

Keep up the good service.

Clinic L Ms Siti Zakiah binti Mohamed Masuni and Ms Rosnani binte Amat Samsuri, Patient Service Associates and Ms Lisa Gold, Physiotherapist Your counter staff are very helpful and provide excellent service, always trying to find the best fit for patients, doctors and physiotherapists.

Keep up the great service. All your doctors and physiotherapists are very understanding and kind. They are extremely helpful in assisting patients and walking them through the treatment. Great job, guys!

Emergency Medicine Dr Soh Poh Choong, Principal Resident Physician and team

Everyone on shift − counter staff, nurses and Dr Soh − were all polite and made me feel so at ease.

They were all so caring.

Thank you for being so kind.

Ward 10 Ms Celine Goh, Staff Nurse II, Ms Bay Hui Ling, Staff Nurse II and Ms Li Fei Xiang, Student Nurse

Your staff are responsible, kind, attentive and professional. I would also like to compliment nursing student Li Feixiang’s concern for me and Staff Nurse Bay Hui Ling for helping patients.

Radiology Ms Latiffah binte Rashid, Senior Patient Service Associate

Pharmacy Mr Dennis Chua, Pharmacist

I would like to compliment Mr Dennis Chua for being professional and knowledgable. I would recommend him as the ambassador for your organisation. He was very patient, giving me advice over the telephone for 30 minutes. Thanks Dennis, your methods worked! I really appreciate your help.

Intensive Care Unit-2 Ms Suhana binte Harith, Staff Nurse II

Everyone did their job with kindness and compassion. You have polite and wonderful staff.

Thank you and keep up Ward 4 the good work.

Mr Gabriel Yeap Chong Yi, Staff Nurse II

Gabriel was very helpful in the preparation of my husband’s discharge.

He took time to locate the last discharge summary which I gave to Ward 3, and was all smiles when serving me. He was also courteous and answered all my questions.

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Suhana was very kind. A patient’s daughter said her father’s mobile phone went missing after he was transferred from a ward to the ICU. The following day, Senior Staff Nurse Siow Yong called the Linen Department about the phone.

The phone was found but the patient had already passed away. Even though Suhana was heavily pregnant, she offered to Ward 11 deliver the phone to the patient’s daughter at the wake.

I can’t single out any staff to compliment as all of them did an excellent job. They are attentive, friendly, approachable and tended to patients’ needs with professionalism.

Most importantly, I observed that they were cheerful and always smiling. That makes a difference to the patients. Well done, nurses of Ward 11!

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hospital Planning

Making Ng Teng Fong General Hospital Accessible to All

Rounding Up a Busy Year

Mr Foo Hee Jug, Chief Executive Officer (fifth from left) with Mr Tan Tai Soon (third from right) and representatives from NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.

Meanwhile, on 4 December 2013, a Letter of Award Signing Ceremony was held between GS Engineering & Construction, the main contractor for Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) and Jurong Community Hospital (JCH), and NEC Corporation, the Nominated Sub-contractor (NSC) to manage the Computer Network, Contact Centre and Unified Communications work at NTFGH and JCH. To date, JurongHealth has awarded contracts to 19 NSCs.

Jurong Gateway Road and the link bridge

Following our feature on the bridge linking the Clinic and Ward Towers of the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) in the Apr-Jun Issue of Engage, we are pleased to report that it has been successfully completed. This link bridge serves as one of the main links among the three blocks of the new hospitals.

There were joint inspections with the Land Transport Authority and comments from the inspections were considered and rectified to improve public safety.

As part of the Jurong Lake District Master Plan, the new hospitals will be linked by several pedestrian bridges to its surrounding developments, and effectively connecting the new hospitals to Jurong East MRT and Bus Interchange. Surrounding the hospitals are big shopping malls, a

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training centre, a warehouse and residential blocks. Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability, which opened in October 2013, is one of the buildings linked to NTFGH. Work on the link bridge connecting it and the Clinic Tower started last month and the bridge is expected to open on 17 December 2014. Two other pedestrian overhead bridges will link NTFGH with Westgate and Big Box malls.

On a separate note, we are pleased to update that construction progress of our new hospitals are going well.

Construction of the Clinic Tower has reached Level 7. The Ward Tower is at Level 14 and Jurong Community Hospital is at Level 1.

We look forward to hearing more developments on our new hospitals!

Description of work

Nominated Sub-contract Work 1 Air-conditioning and

mechanical ventilation 2 Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) 3 Computer network equipment for

contact centre and unified comms 4 Central Sterilised Supply Department 5 Electrical and decorative light 6 Extra low voltage (Package 1) 7 Extra low voltage (Package 2) 8 Façade 9 Fire protection 10 Interior design/auditorium fit out

and built-in fitment 11 Kitchen equipment 12 Lifts and escalators 13 Medical gas

14 Modular OT

15 Pneumatic tube system 16 Security 17 Signage 18 Softscape

19 System furniture and compactors

Nominated sub-contractor

Shinryo Singapore Pte Ltd Swisslog Pte Ltd NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd IDS Medical Systems Bee Kong Electrical Pte Ltd Johnson Controls (S’pore) Pte Ltd Antechnic Engineering Pte Ltd Permasteelisa Pacific Holdings Ltd Deluge Fire Protection (SEA) Pte Ltd New Art Interior Pte Ltd Somerville (S’pore) Pte Ltd Fujitec Singapore Corporation Ltd Singapore Oxygen Air Liquide Pte Ltd (Soxal) Shinryo Singapore Pte Ltd ITS Science & Medical (Singapore) BES Technology Pte Ltd ST Electronics Ltd Crimsign Graphics Pte Ltd Prince’s Landscape & Construction Pte Ltd Office Planner Pte Ltd

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21

Employee Engagement

Collective Agreement Signing Ceremony 2013 On 31 October 2013, management and staff, many of whom are also union members, came together to witness the ongoing partnership between JurongHealth and the Health Services Employees’ Union (HSEU).

The signing of a second Collective Agreement signifies yet another milestone as we embrace a collaborative labour management relationship.

For this second Collective Agreement, HSEU worked closely with JurongHealth to review the terms and conditions, ensuring competitiveness of staff salary and benefits. It also looked at ways to enhance career development, and improvement of training development for JurongHealth staff.

On that same night, members of a joint cycling committee comprising various representatives from JurongHealth and the union were also appointed. As part of JurongHealth’s health promoting initiative and with the strong support of HSEU, plans are underway to equip staff to cycle to work when we move to Jurong.

Home Team National Service Awards 2013 On 17 October 2013, JurongHealth received the Meritorious Home Team Partner Award at the annual Home Team National Service Awards for the first time. The award was given in recognition of our role as an employer that supports and makes significant contributions to the safety and security of Singapore. Mr Masagos Zulkifli bin Masagos Mohamad, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs, presented the award to Mr Ken Lee, Director, Human Resource Management. There were 70 recipients this year and JurongHealth was one of two healthcare institutions that won the award.

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employee engagement

Family Appreciation Day 2013 My Family, Our Family To end the year with a bang, Employee Engagement organised a kampong-themed Family Appreciation Day on 9 November 2013 in appreciation of our JurongHealth family.

Aptly named “My Family, Our Family”, the event draws on the idea of “Gotong Royong” or “kampong spirit” which meant that our families our teams and departments, are just part of an extended community.

Leading up to the event, the organising committee, dressed in 60s outfits, went about the hospital and hand-delivered baskets of red eggs to staff. Red eggs, which are actually hard-boiled eggs smeared with pink colouring, are given to relatives and neighbours to mark a birth or a new start. Staff were told that the eggs came from the “kampong Chief”, Mr Foo Hee Jug, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), as a way of showing “Gotong Royong”, with the eggs signifying the coming birth of our new healthcare hub in the west.

Close to 2000 guests were pleasantly delighted by the retro goodie bag which had an image of a page from a Chinese calendar but infused with IPOEM elements. Within the bag were items reminiscent of our childhood including toys like chapteh and biscuits. They were by tickled by funnyman and host, Mr Suhaimi Yusof. The entire venue was nothing short of a blast from the past, with booths erected to look like the front of shophouses. There was something for everyone – childhood treats such as malt candy, “kacang puteh” (mixed nuts packed in paper cones) and childhood toys.

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23 To kick things off, Mr Lim Yong Wah, Chairman, and CEO arrived on a rickshaw accompanied by an impressive “kompang” (Malay percussion group) procession. After the opening speeches by CEO and Dr Thomas Soo, Chairman of the organising committee, the emcee declared the start of the “kampong party”. Guests were treated to an evening of games, “getai” performances, lucky draws and delicious food. The night ended with a surprise flash mob and a mass karaoke.

The event reminded us that our achievements mean nothing without the love and support of our family at home and at work, and we should always remember to appreciate and thank them. Let’s keep a “kampong spirit” going strong JurongHealth!

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employee engagement

The Inside Story

National Day Awards

For Mr Alex Seah, Manager, Learning & Organisation Development, the thought of being able to run a marathon never crossed his mind.

Weighing 109kg, he picked up jogging in 2011 in an attempt to lose weight and counter withdrawal symptoms from quitting smoking.

On 10 November 2013, 13 JurongHealth staff were honoured at the National Day Awards investiture ceremony for their excellent contributions in their fields. Together with 417 other winners, the JurongHealth team received their awards from Dr Tony Tan, the President of Singapore.

He said, “I made a New Year’s resolution to complete at least three full marathons by the end of 2012.”

Department

Name

Mr Seah’s determination and commitment paid off. Within six months of consistent training, he was clocking 35km per week and was losing weight.

He successfully attempted his first run at the Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon, focusing very hard on his mantra of the three “E”s while dividing the 42km route into three sections.

Biomedical Engineering

Mr Leong Kwok Hoong Manager

Emergency

Ms Zalila binti Shafie

Senior Staff Nurse I

Endoscopy Centre Ms Kok Lai Chun

Senior Enrolled Nurse I

Long Service Medal

Human Resource Ms Yeo Li Peng Management

Senior Manager

Commendation Medal

Sole Searching

Winners

1 Enjoy the first 14km by admiring and appreciating the scenery 1.

2 Endure the next 14km, especially when you think about the dreaded 2.

28km ahead of you 3 Envisage crossing the finishing line with a sense of satisfaction and the 3.

cheer of the crowd during the last 14km

Mr Seah kept to his resolution and successfully completed another two marathons. In the process, he discovered a newfound passion for running, and is now an ardent advocate for keeping a healthy lifestyle. He has completed more than 50 marathons, eight of which are full marathons.

Laboratory Medicine

Designation

Mr Chin Chung Han

Award received

Commendation Medal

Long Service Medal

Medical

Technologist

Long Service Medal

Major OT Ms Chong Siew Heng

Senior Nurse Clinician

Efficiency Medal

Major OT Ms Chua Moi Siok

Senior Nurse Clinician

Long Service Medal

Major OT Ms Rohani binte Kamsani Assistant Nurse

Clinician

Long Service Medal

Nursing

Administration

Ms Fernandez Clary Bell Deputy Director Nursing

Long Service Medal

Nursing Administration

Ms Koh Kim Luan

Efficiency Medal

Nursing Administration

Ms Rohana Binte Anang Assistant Director, Nursing

Pharmacy

Ms Ang Poh Ngiuk

Ward 3

Ms Geh Bee Yock

Deputy Director, Nursing

Long Service Medal

Pharmacy Technician Long Service Medal Senior Nurse Manager Efficiency Medal

Tips for first-time marathon runners

1.

1 Join a group: Running with a buddy will distract you from the task of completing a long run by yourself and help you to stay motivated so that you can complete your training.

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2.

2 Mind games: Count stop signs, play word association games or try to spot certain type of cars. Distracting yourself can take your mind off the pain or thoughts of giving up.

3.

3 Make training fun: Mix up your playlist or run different routes.

Changing your environment can help break up the monotony and keep you on track.

4.

3 Hydrate: Drinking while running may be uncomfortable at first. You need to keep practising until it feels natural. Don’t wait until the day of the race to figure out how to hydrate while you run.

5.

5 No surprises on the day of the race: Stick to your usual shoes, your standard fuel, your usual pace and what you know works.

This is not the time to experiment.

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Happenings

25

Aligning Our Efforts at the Mid-Year Review A Mid-Year Review was held for Senior Management and Management staff on 12 November 2013 to take better stock of our work plans in FY2013. Held at the Sheraton Hotel, it coincided with the annual Integrated Planning Exercise to facilitate the planning of work plans, budgets and training needs at the department and committee levels.

With work plans presented based on focal themes aligned with JurongHealth’s “BEST+++” practices, participants were cued in on their progress and ideas were exchanged on the future of JurongHealth. Corporate Planning, the driver behind this Mid-Year Review, expressed encouragement at the positive feedback received as they look forward to another session next year.

Prepare Healthy Meals Easily Patients and visitors can now easily prepare healthy meals using our new Touch-2-Cook kiosk which was launched on 28 November 2013. Located at our cafe, the kiosk has over 100 healthy recipes which users can print by touching the screen. This initiative is a collaboration between the Dietetics & Nutrition and the Employee Engagement Departments.

The team took about eight months to source, analyse, modify and sample suitable recipes. The recipes were chosen based on whether it was easy to cook, if the ingredients were affordable and readily available, and if it was suitable for Asians. All the recipes are healthier than the original versions as they have been modified, and come with a nutritional analysis. Users are spoilt for choice as the recipes are spread over five courses, four types of cuisines and include salads, soups, snacks, mains and desserts.

The team is reviewing new recipes and welcomes suggestions from staff. This initiative will be mirrored in our upcoming hospitals should it prove successful in the months ahead.

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happenings

Make Your Dreams Come True Allied Health Song Patients! Do you need help today?

I said patients! On your hospital stay?

You can call us! Because we’re really keen We’re your Allied He-alth Te-am Physio, will help you exercise While optometry will check both of your eyes, Po-di-atry will examine your feet Dieticians check what you eat It’s fun to be seen by A-llied Health It’s fun to be seen by A-llied Health We have e-ve-rything to make sure that you’re well, You’ll leave AH feeling just swell

The annual Allied Health Day on 28 November 2013 was a fun-filled carnival themed “Make Your Dreams Come True”. JurongHealth staff had a go at the games stalls shooting darts, playing a version of the popular Angry Birds, spinning wheels and winning prizes. Others had their faces painted, caricatures done and enjoyed a variety of snacks such as candy floss, hotdogs and ice-cream. The audience was well-entertained by ‘models’ on the runway with staff dressed as fairytale characters including Cinderella, Glitter Man, Fairy Godmother and Princess Fiona.

Staff from Rehabilitation, Respiratory Therapy, Optometry, Cardiac Measurement Unit, Dietetics & Nutrition, Psychology, Pharmacy, Radiology and Medical Social Services upped the excitement level by bringing the house down with their wacky performances. The event wrapped up on a high when the winning teams received their prizes from Mr Foo Hee Jug, Chief Executive Officer, with Radiology team walking away with the first prize. We would like to thank the Allied Health Day committee for a highlycharged evening of song and dance.

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ST- when you can’t talk or eat MSW- will get you back on your feet When you need cash, or social issues are tough Audio helps you hear enough Anxious? Go see psychology You can work on ADLs with OT, Need drugs? Talk to your pharmacist!

Radiography can X-ray your wrists!

CMU, help diagnose heart disease And resp therapy, will make sure you can breathe Talk to sleep lab, if you can’t rest in bed Get blood analysis from lab med * Sing to the tune of YMCA

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27 In Anticipation of Our Move to Our New Homes If you are surprised by the theme for the 2014 desktop calendar, and wondering if staff were really photographed at the construction site of our future hospitals…they were! Since we are making our big move this year, the concept of the 2014 desktop corporate calendar by the Communications Department is meant to capture the preparation and anticipation for our move in a tongue-in-cheek manner, through photos of staff ‘working’ at the site.

This concept was adapted from a portion of the video that was screened during the event at Jurong Gateway Road on 27 July 2013, where staff were in their uniform, wearing construction gear. For the calendar, individual staff were photographed at the construction site, posing with props which represented their respective areas of work, with each month featuring one staff. Here are some pictures from the photoshoot.

Hosting our First HMDP Expert Allied Health played host to visiting expert and Australian Occupational Researcher, A/Prof Natasha Lannin, from 5 to 12 November 2013.

Here to share on neurological rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injuries, the sixday workshop was open to all healthcare staff from public hospitals. The workshop is a first for JurongHealth, whereby a Health Manpower Development Programme (HMDP) expert is hosted

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from overseas. Topics shared included the role of Occupational Therapists in the assessment of patients with acquired brain injuries and writing clear goals to guide clinical interventions.

Additionally, the use of specific rehabilitation tools to help patients cope with daily living and the identification of cognitive dysfunctions in adults and motor dysfunctions in patients after a stroke/ brain surgery were discussed.

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MUSINGS

Christmas

To celebrate JurongHealth’s multi-culturalism this festive season, we asked our staff who come from a variety of cultures what Christmas means to them. What does Christmas mean to you?

I usually return to the Philippines to spend Christmas with my family and we will cook tinupig. This is a local delicacy made of glutinous rice and coconut milk wrapped in banana leaves. Sometimes we add cheese for extra oomph! After we put them in a traditional oven, hot coals are placed over them and the tinupig is left to slowly cook for a few hours.

Mr Rexford Del Rosario Executive, Medical Affairs

My most wonderful and memorable Christmas was in 2005 when I did a cultural exchange programme in the US and stayed with a very nice American family. Before Christmas, I was very excited and practiced Christmas carols with my friends and decorated the house and Christmas tree. I had the chance to place a star on the very top of the Christmas tree in the house I lived, which was considered an honour. On Christmas Eve morning, many presents were found under the tree. The family and I received cards from all the people we knew. Our special dish that day was Maine lobsters. The Christmas spirit still continued a few days later because there was a Christmas party in the house. A choir from my high school sang Christmas carols and a pianist played for us for the duration of the party. We had Thai food and wonderful chocolate fondue. Everyone chatted and showed love and concern to each other.

Ms Saengyai Pathomporn Pre-registration Pharmacist, Pharmacy

I usually celebrate Christmas by having a picnic or going shopping with my close friends and exchanging presents with them. Last year, I celebrated Christmas by admiring all the Christmas decorations at the shopping malls.

Christmas means spending time with my family, being thankful for what we have, and sharing what we have with the less fortunate. We always try to celebrate Christmas as a family and having different cuisines each year. When we lived in the US; we had the traditional western Christmas meal, such as ham or turkey, Chinese or Indonesian dishes. I am a Chinese Indonesian, and my children are Chinese Indonesian Americans, so we can have quite a diverse mix of food during the holiday season. On Christmas eve or Christmas Day, we would go for mass (church service) and exchange presents.

Dr Nikolas Wanahita Consultant, Medicine

I’ve celebrated Christmas many different ways! When I was in South Africa, it was the excitement of seeing if Father Christmas came (he did, I was very good). I could open one present before mass (church service). Then head over to our grandparents house for a huge feast in their garden before opening presents and swimming in the pool afterwards. In Ireland during winter, my family would go for a midnight mass on Christmas eve, followed by a feast of mince pies at my mother’s house.

Then we would sleep in, have a mince pie breakfast, open some presents and have dinner at a friend’s house.

Ms Laura O’Bryne Physiotherapist, Rehabilitation

I celebrate Christmas by preparing handmade cards, decorating my home and office, and exchanging presents with friends, family and colleagues. My friends and I like to check out the decorations in the shopping malls and attend parties. One of my most memorable Christmas was a celebration with 50 mentally challenged adults. We sang songs and gave them presents.

Ms Chan Chuen Ling Medical Social Worker, Medical Social Services

Ms Aye Chan Moh Staff Nurse II, Ward 7

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