engage Jul-Sep 2014 | ISSUE 21
@JurongHealth
for Our Move
02-03
CHARGING ON AS ONE JURONGHEALTH
14-17
TRIBUTE TO OUR NURSES IN A FIESTA OF COLOURS
24-25
STAFF APPRECIATION COMES TO JURONGHEALTH
HIGHLIGHTS
04-05 SPOTLIGHT
06-21
IN AND AROUND
22-23
SERVICE IMPROVEMENT & SERVICE QUALITY
FOCUS
Charging On as ONE JurongHe alth As we press on in our preparations for the opening of the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) in June 2015, there is certainly a buzz of activities both on site and at Alexandra Hospital (AH).
24-27
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
28
IN THE PINK OF HEALTH
Writer Clara Chua Editor Tessa Monteiro Editorial Advisor Casey Chang
Between September and November, we connected with our neighbours namely, the Westgate mall and Big Box mall as link bridges between NTFGH and these two malls were hoisted into position respectively. The link bridges will connect all three towers of our hospitals with one another as well as with the surrounding malls, buildings and public transport system to offer greater convenience and ease of accessibility for our future patients and their caregivers come rain or shine. Another milestone worth celebrating was the basement levels of our integrated development having received its Temporary Occupation Permit on 26 November 2014!
03
Many colleagues have made NTFGH their second home to test operational systems and ensure that all back-of-house facilities are up and running smoothly. Various departments are undertaking defects checking, handovers and commissioning of their respective areas. No corner is too hard to get to nor a ceiling too high as end-users combed high and low to ensure a safe opening for our community. As of November 2014, close to 20 areas have been handed over to departments with more to come in the days ahead. Thus far, the areas which have been handed over include: • Biomedical Engineering
• Contact Centre
• Cardiology, Clinical Diagnostic and General Medicine Clinics
• Dietetics, Psychology, Diabetes and Geriatric Clinics
• Central Sterile Supplies Department
• Inpatient Pharmacy and Store
• Clinical Laboratory (Microbiology, Mycology, Core Lab, Histo Cyto Lab and Admin)
• Kitchen
• Data Centre
• Logistics Hub (Admin) • Maintenance Room
• Medical Records Office • Private and Subsidised Wards • Radiotherapy • Security
Over at AH, commissioning of equipment and systems ahead of our move are also progressing well with clinicians, nurses and other healthcare staff getting familiar with the new equipment and work processes. Concurrently, staff training is on track with the Learning team’s Transition Training Plan that comprises a Core Training, Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and non-EMR training to enable more colleagues to familiarise themselves with the new EMR and key IT systems piloting at NTFGH. As at end October, 1,100 staff or 42% of the target staff have completed their required EMR modules. To help staff retain what they have learnt, the Medical Informatics team and Learning & Development are also developing an EMR Refresher/ Advanced Training course to enable trained staff to update their Epic applications before actual full dress rehearsals. In addition, further finetuning to Epic templates and order sets to facilitate clinical decisions will be looked into to develop a comprehensive, robust and evidence-based system. It is really exciting to see the new and unique features of NTFGH come to life. Let’s continue to focus our collective energy to open a better and safer hospital for our community!
SPOTLIGHT
Making Sense of Finance This issue, we get past the dollars and cents to understand more about the Department of Finance at JurongHealth. Headed by Ms Chow Siew Ying (Chief Financial Officer), the Department of Finance was established in 2009 and comprises two key teams namely, the Financial Accounting team and the Financial Planning & Analysis team. She also oversees Legal, Risk and the Business Office in JurongHealth.
Financial Accounting
The Financial Accounting (FA) team was set up to oversee budgets, implement financial policies, manage cash flow, accounts payable and stock management. In addition to the annual and month-end closing and reporting, the team also keeps a tight rein on implementing internal control, subvention, grant administration and funding. FA also performs non-traditional decision-making and performance measurements to ensure better operational efficiency across all the institutions under JurongHealth.
Within FA, Group Finance oversees Group Management and Statutory Reporting, Group Tax, Treasury, and implements organisationalwide systems such as the Central Liquidity System. The team also works closely with the Regional Health System Coordination Office, which is tasked to further JurongHealth’s role as a Regional Health System to partner closely with other healthcare providers in the western region to integrate all care services and transform the model of care.
05
Who’s who in Finance? 1
2
Acute hospital and medical centres
Jurong Community Hospital
led by Ms Helen Alexander Vimala
led by Ms Janice Chow Head, Finance & Accounting
Financial Controller, Finance &
Ms Connie Chung Assistant Director, Finance
3
4
Group Finance
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) team
led by Ms Helen Koh
led by Mr Shane Lee
Assistant Director, Finance
Deputy Director, Finance
Financial Planning & Analysis Team The Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) team works with internal and external medical and operational stakeholders in JurongHealth to develop accurate and sustainable costing of our services and ensure affordable and quality healthcare for patients. The team also looks at the integration of systems and processes for accurate and timely charging of services, and provides deep-dive analytics on financial performances of clinical departments for continual improvement and efficiencies. The team also supports the setting up of SAP and Epic, as well as participates in MOH initiatives such as the Specialist Outpatient Means Testing and the National Costing Exercise.
in & Around
Navigating Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital Easy and convenient access has been planned for the future Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) and Jurong Community Hospital (JCH). They will be served by Jurong East MRT station and Jurong East bus interchange and be aided by clear signage from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) the minute patients and visitors disembark from a train or bus. The signage will continue to guide patients and visitors on an elevated pedestrian network, as well as the “J-Walk” that connects the MRT train station to NTFGH, JCH and nearby amenities. On the roads, drivers can also navigate to NTFGH and JCH easily with visible LTA signs and pylons by the road.
CLINIC Ng Teng Fong General Hospital
Ng Teng Fong General Hospital
Jurong Community Hospital
A
B
C
TOWER
CLINICS
EMERGENCY
Tower B Tower C
TOWER
WARDS EMERGENCY
Tower A Tower C
TOWER
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
31
level
MEDICINE 华文字体 Melayu Tamil
Sub-Specialty
CLINICS
33
34
Dermatology Gastroenterology Hepatology Infectious Diseases
EMERGENCY
Tower B
Neurology Occupational Medicine Renal Medicine Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Psychological Medicine Rehabilitation Medicine
CLINICS
31
32
07 The Three Towers The Clinic Tower and Ward Tower of NTFGH, and JCH will be known as “Tower A”, “Tower B” and “Tower C” respectively, and will be differentiated by blue, green and orange to aid in way-finding. They were chosen for symbolic reasons: • Blue represents water, a sense of calm, peace and tranquility. • Green represents plants, life and hope. • Orange represents warmth, hope, passion and longevity. All public areas, drop-off zones and carparks will adopt these colours in their signage to help patients and visitors navigate to the correct building easily.
Navigate with Ease Within NTFGH and JCH, signage will also be placed at the ceiling and eye-level for greater visibility. They will be supplemented by directories, way-finding kiosks and physical landmarks to guide. The signage will also be intuitively-designed, strategically-located and accompanied by easy-tounderstand pictograms, where possible. Locating specific clinics and wards will also be made easy as patients and visitors only need to remember the alphanumeric location that they wish to get to. For example, the fourth Specialist Outpatient Clinic at Tower A, Level 5, will be referred as “A 54”, while the inpatient ward at Tower B, Level 6 will be known as “Ward B6”. Patients and visitors who are physically-challenged can also look forward to handicap-friendly features such as braille signage and contrasting colours that will improve their experience at our hospitals.
in & Around
Where Every Staff Matters On 26 June 2014, JurongHealth was voted one of Human Resource (HR) Asia’s “Best Companies To Work For In Asia 2014” as Mr Foo Hee Jug (Chief Executive Officer) received the award on our behalf at an award ceremony in Resorts World Sentosa. Every year, HR Asia honours organisations for best practices, workplace excellence and employee engagement efforts. In a similar coup, JurongHealth clinched a bronze at the second HR Excellence Awards on 21 May 2014, in which organisations that demonstrate excellent recruitment and retention strategies, an ability to retain the best hires, nurture employee talents and make careful use of budgets, were honoured. Other efforts like the ability to boost employee morale and offer competitive staff benefits were also considered.
receiving Officer), left, ef Executive hi (C g ia 2014” Ju As in ee Mr Foo H To Work For fficer, t Companies O es g “B tin ’s ra ia pe As ef O HR Sai Hup (Chi n Ta r M m award fro l) ia Internationa Business Med
Clinching both awards will undoubtedly spur us to do better even as we continue to grow the JurongHealth family with like-minded individuals onboard.
Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2014
09 Integrating Cancer Care for the West On 9 July 2014, members of JurongHealth and the National University Health System’s (NUHS) Senior Management formalised a 10-year agreement for JurongHealth and National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) to jointly improve cancer care for the west.
The agreement will: • Develop chemotherapy for Medical Oncology • Procure equipment and deliver Radiation Oncology • Build JurongHealth’s patient registry for Surgical Oncology This agreement reinforces an earlier commitment in 2011, which saw the birth of the Western Cancer Care Action Network (WCAN) and an Oncology Collaboration Agreement to hone integrated cancer care at the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. < Affirming the JurongHealth and NCIS commitment to better cancer care. L-R: A/Prof Cheah Wei Keat (Chairman, Medical Board, JurongHealth), Mr Foo Hee Jug (Chief Executive Officer, JurongHealth), Adjunct A/Prof Joe Sim (Chief Executive Officer, National University Hospital) and Professor John Wong (Chief Executive Officer, NUHS, and Director, NCIS)
The Journey of Collaboration NUHS and JurongHealth conceive an integrated cancer care plan for the west. WCAN will address different components of cancer care, from prevention to palliation.
A WCAN taskforce is established and a subsequent four-step approach was adopted to include prevention and screening, diagnosis and treatment, follow-up and palliative care.
NUHS and JurongHealth sign a Memorandum of Understanding to formally acknowledge each other as preferred clinical partners.
JurongHealth’s Dr Seow Choon Sheong (Senior Consultant, Surgery), Dr Kan Yuk Man (Consultant, Surgery), Dr Heng Chin Tiong (Senior Consultant and Director, Urology) and Dr Ranjit Gabriel Magherra (Senior Consultant, Ear, Nose and Throat - Head and Neck Surgery) were officially recognised as Visiting Consultants at NCIS.
Jun 2011
Jul 2012
Jan 2013
Jul 2013
in & Around
Partnering SMRT to Better Patient Care
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between JurongHealth and SMRT on 7 July 2014 to acknowledge SMRTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution of a mock MRT train carriage, bus carriage and a decommissioned taxi to Jurong Community Hospital (JCH) to boost community care.
The three life-sized mockups will be housed at the outdoor mobility park at JCH come 2015, and will be used to enable elderly patients with special needs to familiarise themselves with the different modes of public transportation to overcome fears and barriers, expand mobility ranges, improve physical functioning and retain independence. The outdoor rehabilitation programme that will pilot at JCH will also break away from the confines
of the wards and indoor gymnasium, under the supervision of JurongHealthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trained healthcare staff. At the rehabilitation park will be walkways, sandy and pebbled surfaces, ramps and steps found commonly in public places. Familiarising patients with them form part of the outdoor rehabilitation programme as they prepare for discharge. Caregivers can likewise look forward to information that will help them care for loved ones better. Giving the thumbs up to community care. Seated front row from left: Mr Patrick Nathan (Vice President, Corporate Information and Communications, SMRT), Mr Sam Ong (Group Chief Financial Officer, SMRT), Mr Desmond Kuek (President and Group Chief Executive Officer, SMRT), Mr Foo Hee Jug (Chief Executive Officer, JurongHealth), A/Prof Cheah Wei Keat (Chairman, Medical Board, JurongHealth) and Dr Chua Chi Siong (Medical Director, Jurong Community Hospital, JurongHealth)
11 Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic: One Year On
Almost a year ago, the Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic (LFMC) was formed to help patients manage their chronic conditions and common illnesses closer to home. A collaboration between JurongHealth and seven family physicians in the west, LFMC, whose medical facilities complement that of Alexandra Hospital and Jurong Medical Centre, offers minor surgical procedures, diabetic retinal photography, foot screenings and dietetic counselling.
With Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ageing population on the rise and the onset of patients with complex medical cases involving multi-morbidities (more than one chronic medical condition), family medicine clinics like LFMC play a crucial role in helping seniors better manage their ageing health. Comprising family physicians from the public and private sectors, nurses, allied health professionals and administrative staff, the LFMC offers patient-centric care at all touch points, and the convenience of seeing the same physician. From consultations to navigating the healthcare system, patients can seek medical care/advice and link up with LFMCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partners such as Touch, Family Service Centres, Jurong Spring community and other community agencies for more holistic care.
On 2 August 2014, an inaugural health screening with Jurong Springâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grassroots at the Jurong Spring National Day event succeeded in promoting healthy living in many to raise awareness on chronic diseases in the community. The LFMC team is now working closely with hospital specialists to widen its scope of medical care to serve even more within the community. Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic is located at Block 518A, Jurong West Street 52 #01-02 Singapore 641518 Tel: 6471 5154 L-R: Mr Patrick Goh (Grassroots member, Jurong Spring Community), Dr Luke Low (Family Physician, Health and Wellness, JurongHealth), Mr Desmond Lee (Minister of State, Ministry of National Development) and Ms Annabelle Low (Assistant Manager, Community, JurongHealth).
in & Around
Document Management System Training Kicks Off Apart from new infrastructure and processes that will unveil at our new hospitals, a new system to organise and manage documents more efficiently will enhance productivity at JurongHealth. Known as the Document Management System (DMS), it will improve file Saving, Sharing and Searching – the basic 3S’s in JurongHealth. Colleagues who require advanced options may tap on the system further to generate simple workflows, obtain inputs and approvals, automate policies and procedures, tag and link documents, and so on.
Migration of existing files from the various departments kicked off in July 2014 as department representatives performed housekeeping and tagged documents with metadata to facilitate efficient searches. A series of trainings were also conducted to acquaint staff with the DMS. Organised by the Corporate Planning department, staff learnt to create, edit and search for documents as they enhanced workplace efficiency and improved productivity. Those identified to be trainers further underwent “Train-the-Trainer” sessions to get a hands-on introduction of DMS’ D2 (Repository), Generic Workflow and Policies, and Procedures Workflow.
Why DMS? Doing things the old way
With DMS
Documents are stored as hardcopies and occupy physical space.
Everything can be electronically-retrieved, reducing space and providing immediate access to those who need it.
Files that exceed a maximum size limit cannot be sent by email.
Files created in DMS have no file size limit.
Large files can only be shared via different shared drives or an external file-sharing site.
DMS allows staff to create Administrator, Contributor and Consumer rights to share files quickly and efficiently.
13
A “Babylicious” event was dedicated to our staff and the children of JurongHealth who were born or had literally grown with us over the years. Held at The City, Liang Court Shopping Centre on 19 July 2014, it was also a celebration of new additions to staff’s families the same way we have grown in staff strength over the years. 60 little ones and their happy parents joined in this inaugural event. Mr Foo Hee Jug (Chief Executive Officer), Madam Kuttiammal Sundarasan (Director, Nursing), Mr Tan Tai Soon (Director, Hospital Planning) and Dr Gamaliel Tan (Director and Senior Consultant, Orthopaedics) were amongst those spotted with their families. Our little guests had a field day checking out the mini supermarket, clinic, kitchen and post office and trying their hands at simple activities. An art corner was created for a special “mission” to display their creativity as they coloured “Happy Nurses Day” cards for our nurses. A slew of other activities entertained, including Mr Funny’s Magic Show, Mr Rainbow’s balloon creations, and an instant photobooth provided a day of fun and laughter. To colleagues who have grown with us over the past years, we look forward to adding more good years with you!
n w o gr us! with
in & Around
Tribute
to Our Nurses in a Fiesta of Colours!
On 1 August 2014, the JurongHealth family came together to celebrate our fourth Nurses Day at Alexandra Hospital. Titled “Fiesta of Colours” to celebrate the diversity at JurongHealth, colleagues reveled in this annual celebration that was hosted by local playwright Mr Sebastian Tan. Highlights included a surprise song dedication to Madam Kuttiammal Sundarasan (Director, Nursing) by our nursing leaders. Serenaded by Dr Christopher Pearce (Consultant, Orthopaedics), Dr Antony Gardner (Consultant, Orthopaedics) and Dr Bernard Lee (Consultant, Orthopaedics), all the nurses went wild with cat calls as celebrations kicked off. A talent search to sniff out the hidden talents in Nursing took centrestage next as participants from Wards 4, 5, 10 and 11, ICU 1 and CSSD went onstage to perform to a medley of songs and dances. Congratulations to Ms Betty Sam (Staff Nurse, Ward 5) and Ms Gayitheri Ganesan (Staff Nurse, Ward 4) for captivating audiences with their well-choreographed Bollywood dance! A “Mr and Miss Gorgeous” contest also elicited similar excitement as many caught a glimpse of our best-looking nurses with equally beautiful hearts. Ms Marissa Mercado Cueto (Staff Nurse, Ward 10) and Mr Simon Savarimuthu (Staff Nurse, Ward 13) beat fellow contenders to emerge winners after accumulating the most number of staff votes. Fans of MediaCorp’s Channel 8 stars, Elvin Ng, Rebecca Lim, Xu Bin, Jayley Woo and Sheila Sim were also in for a treat when the stars dropped by to wish our nurses. As part of the cast in an upcoming nursing drama series, they roved to different hospitals to thank the nurses who were involved in the making of the drama. At the celebration, staff also enjoyed fringe activities, yummy buffet spread, photobooth moments and complimentary massages by the Singapore Association of the Visually Impaired as they shared in the celebration of our nurses’ special day. In the words of Madam Kuttiammal Sundarasan (Director, Nursing), “It takes a very special person to be a nurse”, and we could not agree more!
15
in & Around Our colleagues soaked in the photo fun and all that Nursesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day had to offer...
17
In the days leading up to Nursesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day, our nursing Leaders and Senior Management came together to distribute gerberas to our nurses at Alexandra Hospital, Jurong Medical Centre and Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic. These flowers brought undeniable cheer to all.
in & Around Consent is required prior to collection, use and disclosure of personal data
The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)
Public healthcare institutions rely on deemed consent transfer out Personal data should only be transferred to other jurisdictions in accordance with the PDPA requirements
What is personal data? Personal data relates to information about a person who can be identified from that data or other information which the organisation has access to. Examples of personal data include a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, NRIC number, passport number, photographs, video images of individuals, mobile
number, personal email address, thumbprint, DNA profile, residential address, medical records, criminal records, work performance, salary details, credit records, etc. What are the main obligations under the PDPA? With the Do-Not-Call (DNC) that took effect from 2 January 2014, organisations are prohibited from sending marketing messages via telephone calls, SMS, MMS and faxes to Singapore telephone numbers registered with the DNC Registry.
purpose Personal data may only be collected, used or disclosed for the purpose for which consent has been given and the individual notified
Data Protection obligation
retention
What is the purpose of PDPA? The PDPA governs the collection, use and disclosure of individualsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; personal data by organisations. It also governs the rights of individuals to protect their personal data.
Individual can withdraw consent
Personal data must be removed if there is no legal or business purposes to retain
Acess Individuals have a right to access their personal data
Effective from 2 July 2014
security
correction
Personal data must be protected from unauthorised access
Errors or emissions in an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal data must be corrected accuracy Personal data collected must be accurate and complete
What are the exceptions of PDPA? PDPA obligations are not applicable to the following: Business contact information
An employee acting in the course of his or her employment with an organisation
Personal data that is contained in a record that has been in existence for more than 100 years
Any public agency (government organisations, ministry, tribunal and statutory body specified by the Minister)
Personal data of a deceased individual who has been dead for more than 10 years
An organisation acting on behalf of a public agency
An individual acting in a personal or domestic capacity
Who to contact for PDPA queries
For more information or assistance, please contact the Data Protection Representative in your department or the Data Protection Office at dpo@juronghealth.com.sg
19
Empowering Transitional Care Patients
As part of JurongHealth’s ongoing service delivery efforts, a new initiative by the name of “Activities of Daily Living” (ADL) aids project was piloted at Wards 4 and 5 of Alexandra Hospital earlier this year. Comprising multi-disciplinary care colleagues from Service Operations at Jurong Community Hospital (JCH), Transitional Care Service, Allied Health, Nursing and Food Services, the project aims to help patients with certain physical limitations perform daily activities with ease. Stroke and dementia patients often experience difficulty feeding themselves due to an inability to hold a utensil and this discourages them from trying, which may create a phobia towards eating. To curb these, the team looked at how ADL aids
can empower and instil confidence in patients. Some of these aids include a hand reacher, long-handle reacher, dressing stick, built-up handle utensils, curved utensils and beauty comb. To help patients return to eating, bathing and dressing confidently, JurongHealth’s occupational therapists and doctors work closely to identify suitable aids based on an individual patient’s needs and conditions. A diabetic patient prescribed a curved spoon
for three weeks felt more confident feeding herself and now looks forward to meal times a lot more. She is glad that others like herself can benefit from the use of ADL aids. When JCH opens, more patients are expected to benefit from the ADL aids. Caregiver stress is also expected to reduce significantly as patients become more empowered to take on daily tasks independently and confidently. JCH is currently working with community partners to provide suitable ADL aids to patients with financial difficulty.
in & Around
Building a Strong Service Culture Apart from being the first point of contact to patients, Patient Service Associates (PSA) also double up as preceptors to new PSAs. The preceptor-preceptee programme at Service Operations allows senior PSAs to mentor new ones in this journey of service excellence.
What ma kes a Preceptor? Engage caught up with Ms Nur Hafizah binte Abdul Khalik (Patient Service Coordinator, Admissions & Backroom), who was both preceptor and preceptee in her four years at JurongHealth to find out more. She was one of the 45 PSAs chosen to advance her career as a Patient Service Coordinator at the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital when we open our doors in the west. Can you share with us what a preceptor does? A preceptor guides a preceptee in the daily responsibilities of a PSA. From familiarising with workflows to correcting mistakes and helping them learn positively, preceptors also double up as role models to motivate and help preceptees develop service skills.
You were once a preceptee yourself. Can you share with us what that felt like? Ties that bind: Nur Hafizah (right on both images) with her preceptor and preceptee, both of whom she enjoys a close working relationship with.
I joined JurongHealth with no experience in healthcare and was fortunate to have a good and patient preceptor who trained me. In turn, I am now able to be a good preceptor to someone else.
What is one challenging aspect of being a preceptor? When we have to manage multiple preceptees and everyone learns at a different pace. A preceptee who cannot multi-task can be challenging as it is important for a PSA to be able to do so.
What is your fondest memory of being a preceptor? When I see my preceptees advance and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;graduateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to become preceptors themselves. It shows that I have mentored them well.
21 Rigourous Medical Training at Our Doorstep Opened in July 2012, the JurongHealth Simulation Centre (JSC) provides a platform for junior doctors to undergo simulations of clinical scenarios to stay equipped with skills and knowledge required of medical emergencies. Led by Dr Gerald Chua (Head, Medicine and Senior Consultant) and backed by senior consultants, administrative staff, educators and staff who provide support and training to doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and colleagues who come into direct contact with patient care daily, the training is conducted at either the simulation centre or in wards, operation theatres, and emergency department to familiarise colleagues with real-life emergencies.
How is Simulation Useful? Simulations provide a setting for safe learning and mistakes that will not cause real harm to patients. Training includes starting intravenous lines, giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation, inserting lifesaving chest tubes, etc. High fidelity computercontrolled manikins are also used to enhance the management of emergency situations, such as heart attacks and other forms of trauma. Teamwork is also a huge part of the simulation training as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists etc, learn to work with each other, improve communications and coordination for efficient patient care. The centre conducts regular lifesaving courses such as advanced cardiac life support, code blue drills in wards and task training to help colleagues stay better equipped with technical skills. The Mechanical Ventilation Workshop and Advanced Airway Workshop are two clinical programmes that have been conducted. To date, 2,000 clinical staff have benefited from the programmes even as the JSC works closely with full time clinicians to further improve the relevance of its programmes. Feedback are consistently positive, with close to 100% of participants giving a thumbs-up to the programmes. The JSC is currently exploring partnerships with interdisciplinary teams within JurongHealth to offer an even more robust training to all.
Looking Ahead At the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, a larger and better equipped facility has been planned for trainings in simulated settings that resemble real wards, operating theatres, an intensive care unit and emergency department etc. A number of programmes have already been lined up, along with new accredited training programmes like the AED instructor course in the pipeline. A wet skills laboratory will also allow surgeons-in-training to practice in a safe environment.
Service improvement
Missing images
A patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Next-of-Kin contacted SQ recently to express frustration at missing images in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compact disc (CD). MRI CDs are prepared by a radiography assistant for patients who request for them.
Unsafe LOCKERS
Service Quality (SQ) received a feedback from a patient who lost his belongings after he placed them in a locker at X-Ray 3. Investigation revealed that the keys to lockers at X-Ray 3 were interchangeable, and could easily be accessed by another key. To prevent a recurrence, locks for all lockers in X-Ray 1, 2 and 3 were replaced with unique keys. A closed-circuit television was also installed to monitor these areas for heightened security.
Since receiving the feedback, SQ and Radiology have finetuned the process, which included getting a radiographer to perform secondary checks to tally the number of images in the CD against JurongHealthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Enterprise Archive Viewer system.
Ms Jaya Jothi d/o S Thoondi
All Nurses at Ward 1
Mr Abdul Farouk bin Abdul Latiff
I was apprehensive when I had to be admitted into the hospital, but this changed after I met your wonderful nurses. They were all very friendly and made me forget I was in a hospital! They also performed their duties thoroughly and professionally. You could tell their care for patients stemmed from a genuine concern for their wellbeing. Truly commendable!
Nurse Clinician, Ward 12
Senior Staff Nurse, Ward 13
Ms Kalivani Asaithamby Staff Nurse, Ward 13 My father was admitted to Alexandra Hospital and referred to your hospital as “a home”. We thank Ms Jaya Jothi for teaching him how to manage his diabetes, and to Ms Kalivani, whose dedication surpasses anyone we know. She made sure everything was in order and puts her patients’ concerns above hers. She even forgoed some of her meals to care for them! It is nurses like Ms Jaya Jothi and Ms Kalivani that allow patients to heal so well. Thank you!
Ms Devi d/o Poiporas Senior Staff Nurse, Emergency Medicine I am impressed by Ms Devi’s care for my mother. She wheeled her from our car to the observation area gently and was very attentive throughout. We cannot thank her enough.
All Nurses at Ward 7 and 8 All your nurses at Wards 7 and 8 are professional and patient. I am impressed. During my short stay there, I realised nurses are the life blood of a hospital. I hope you acknowledge them for their contributions.
Mr Loong Di Sheng Senior Enrolled Nurse, Ward 13 He radiates joy everywhere he goes. Always encouraging, he would pepper his advice with jokes and lighten his patient’s load just by being himself. Being admitted into a hospital is stressful, but having Mr Loong around helped us cope with the situation better. I wish to thank him.
During my hospital stay, I was fortunate to be cared for by Mr Farouk. His care is contagious and you can see it in the way he attends to his patients. He makes the effort to stop by and cheer them up even if he is busy. Your hospital is lucky to have him.
Ms Noreen Taha
23
Senior Staff Nurse, Ward 10 A great nurse, Ms Taha is patient, pleasant and helpful. She put me at ease immediately and was a great help throughout. Thank you!
Ms Revathi Renganathan Staff Nurse, Ward 2
Ms Cantos Arlene Capuno Enrolled Nurse, Ward 2
Ms Oca Analyn Vidad Staff Nurse, Ward 2
In tribute to Nurses’ Day, we share with you some of the many compliments that have earned our nurses the moniker, “Angels in White”. Not only do they wow with their passion and unwavering care, their healing touch and ever-ready smiles are a source of encouragement to many.
They have an unspoken ability to understand their patients’ needs without being asked. They also performed their duties confidently, which assured us that we were in good hands.
Ms Malathy d/o Subramaniam Senior Staff Nurse, X-Ray 2 My visit to your hospital today was made very comfortable thanks to Ms Malathy. She has this way about her which is irreplaceable. Thank you!
Ms Dela Cruz Kristine Raizzel Javier Staff Nurse, Ward 3
Ms Valerie Wong
Ms Harini S Shunmuga Velu
Ms Jasmine Tan
Staff Nurse, Ward 12
Staff Nurse, Clinic A
Staff Nurse, Ward 3
I commend Ms Harini on her prompt and careful manner in dispensing medications. She is an outstanding nurse and great help to all whom she crosses paths with.
Ms Tan shows genuine concern for her patients and always has a smile for them. Patient and knowledgeable, I feel assured to be cared by her.
Ms Nurleela Ibrahim
Ms Hajjah Norhayati binte Ismail
Both nurses are kind, patient, helpful and able to coax my difficult helper to take her medication. They even translated her condition to her brother back home. It is the little gestures like these that touch, and your nurses do them so well.
Assistant Nurse Clinician, Clinic G Impressive in all areas, Ms Nurleela provided top class service from the beginning to end. Patients are very lucky to have her.
Senior Enrolled Nurse, Clinic B
All Nurses at Ward 5
Ms Hajjah was very gentle as she took my blood. For once, I felt no fear. Thank you! You are like an angel.
No words can describe my gratitude to your nurses at Ward 5. They have left a deep impression on me.
employee engagement
20
14
S ta f f Appreciation Month At the opening ceremony of the Staff Appreciation Month this year, Mr Foo Hee Jug (Chief Executive Officer) highlighted the importance of caring for one another and showing our appreciation to colleagues and partners. He told the story of Ms Grace Lee (Assistant Director, Human Resource Management) and three Keppel technicians, Mr Wong Chor Weng, Mr Tun Kyaw and Mr Myo Than Naing who were trapped in our first staff lounge, also known as the “Fish Tank”, after a tree fell and collapsed on it. The staff were working on its final touches when it collapsed. One of the technicians held up the roof selflessly for Ms Lee to leave the rubble with minor injuries. A new “Fish Tank” has since replaced the old, but that has not stopped us from remembering the courage and resilience demonstrated by them. CEO expressed his heartfelt appreciation to Keppel on our behalf. The launch of Staff Appreciation Month also unveiled eight employee “care initiatives” founded on JurongHealth’s four pillars of employee health promotion namely, “Be Active”, “Think Positive”, “Eat Right” and “Appreciate Much”. Over the course of the month, staff enjoyed complimentary neck and shoulder massages from the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped, coffee and tea from the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and exotic fruits distributed personally by Senior Management. The Senior Management team also combed Alexandra Hospital to distribute apple-shaped stress balls to staff with the words, “Press On!” on them. What an apt reminder for us to press on in our move to the west!
25
Inspiring with the FISH! Philosophy Adapted from the widely-acclaimed FISH! Philosophy to create happier workplaces, Employee Engagement launched a similar initiative at the Staff Appreciation Month to encourage colleagues to do the same. Founded on the principles of “Choosing Your Attitude”, “Play”, “Making (Someone’s) Day” and “Being There”, everyone at JurongHealth was encouraged to write “Fish Notes” to a thoughtful colleague or an inspiring mentor. 12 “Fish Notes” are handpicked by Mr Foo Hee Jug (Chief Executive Officer) monthly and acknowledged at a ceremony. Known as “Catch(es) of the Month”, colleagues whose “Fish Notes” get selected receive a “Fish Certificate” for exemplifying the JurongHealth culture of appreciation. Over a thousand “Fish Notes” have since been received. Have you appreciated someone today?
Employee Engagement
Key to JurongHealth’s Success At the grand finale of Staff Appreciation Month, a memento in the shape of a key was unveiled and distributed to all staff. Individually personalised with the staff’s name, the initiative represented the thought and appreciation for each and every one in the JurongHealth family.
The “key” also symbolises the unlocking of new horizons as we embrace our mission to stay well, heal and empower. It further reminds us of the key roles we play in this unique and memorable journey. Over 60 “Key” ceremonies were conducted to present staff with their personalised keys. Officiated by Heads of Department and Reporting Officers, it is simply JurongHealth’s way of saying “Thank You” to all staff for their dedication in building JurongHealth to the best of their abilities!
were also conducted to nearby nature reserves to allow many to take in the fresh evening air and bond with like-minded colleagues.
enjoy a two-month complimentary access into all Singapore Sports Council gymnasiums and swimming pools, island-wide.
In the months to come, cycling, roller blading, dancing and other team sports will be added to the slew of F3 activities. Staff who could not participate in earlier F3 activities were given the option to
With so many reasons to get up and move, there is really no reason not to!
Fun Fridays at Five
“F3” or “Fun Friday at Five” kicked off to get colleagues to stay healthy and exercise together. Under the F3 initiative, staff get to knock off an hour earlier to exercise on Fridays, subject to the approval of Reporting Officers. Employee Engagement organised trial classes of activities such as archery to encourage more to view exercise as a fun and doable activity. Brisk walks
27 Caring for Your Mind
Winning Big by Losing Big Unlike the reality television programme which made head waves for helping overweight individuals shed excess weight successfully, JurongHealth’s “The Biggest Loser” got colleagues to shred documents instead. Organisation Development, General Services, Environment Services and Corporate Planning were the drivers behind this initiative as they encouraged colleagues to go paperless and discard what they do not need. Under this challenge, Alexandra Hospital was divided into five zones and the zone with the most amount of paper discarded emerged champion. A total of 1,026 kg of paper was collected in the first two weeks and went towards recycling for a better environment. The heartening figure reinforces our commitment to go paperless as a family!
A programme to promote positive mental well-being in staff was piloted in a collaboration between Dr Daniel Kwek (Senior Consultant and Director, Medicine), Medical Social Services and Employee Engagement. Known as “MindCare”, the programme aims to help staff: • Evaluate their current state(s) of mental well-being • Stay equipped with basic knowledge and skills to identify and cope with stress • Be empowered to take positive and creative steps to manage, reduce and remove stress at work and at home. (Professional help would be available if required) • Evaluate collective feedback to care for JurongHealth as a whole To date, over 28 sessions have been conducted and benefitted 400 colleagues. One of the exciting spin-offs from MindCare is the conceptualisation of the “Massage Cove” for staff to rest, relax and recharge. We thank the team for putting together this programme with staff’s well-being in mind.
28
in the pink of health
Keep you
8
Reasons to Vaccinate
healthy
It is
convenient and safe
Continue to enjoy the best that life has to offer with
peace of mind Protect
those who cannot be vaccinated (e.g. pregnant women or cancer patients)
$ave
on medical bills
Sometimes
make a difference between life and death
Your family
needs you!