A quarterly publication of St Luke s MCI (P) 067/03/2014 Q2 2014 St Luke s Hospital New Wing Official Opening St Luke s Hospital welcomed Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on 25 March, to commemorate the completion of its new wing, an expansion project which took about two years to complete. Mr Gan was present to meet the team behind the transformation, and also took a tour of the new facilities available to the patients. With the new wing in operation, St Luke s Hospital is now a 233-bed community hospital, equipped to take in more patients requiring rehabilitative and sub-acute treatment. Among its improved facilities are two sub-acute wards with piped-in oxygen and built-in vacuum regulator for suctioning at every bedside. Previously, nurses had to use portable oxygen concentrators and vacuum regulators. From left: Dr Peng Chung Mien, Chairman, St Luke s Hospital; Ms Agnes Hew, Deputy Director, Corporate Strategy & Performance Office; Dr Kenny Tan, COO, St Luke s Hospital; Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health and Mr Lim Hock Chuan, CEO, St Luke s Hospital Now, with the new equipment, these services are readily available for each patient. Each ward in the new wing also houses one negative pressure room which can be used as an isolation room for infection control. Other facilities include a bigger pharmacy department, day rehab centre, an outdoor mobility park to aid therapists in their rehab programmes for patients and a chapel. Wound Care Conference 2014: Principles to Innovation Wound care management is one of the top reasons why patients are referred to St Luke s Hospital. Riding on its strength, St Luke s Hospital held its eighth Wound Care Conference from 23 to 24 May. The event attracted a diverse group of participants from the various private, restructured hospitals and primary healthcare institutions. The conference was aptly themed Principles to Innovation, reflecting our approach in embracing innovation and advanced technology to improve the nurse-led wound care practices, with the aim of achieving better patient outcomes. The distinguished speakers taking questions from the floor. Among the distinguished panel of international and local speakers, keynote speaker Prof Nick Santamaria touched on topics such as Let s look at pressure ulcer management strategies: prevention and treatment. Dr Michael Braun took the opportunity to present the importance of Understanding biofilms and their management using modern antiseptics. Madam Mariam Hj. Mohd Nasir, Senior Nurse Officer from Enterostomal Therapy Nursing Services, University of Medical Centre, shared her experiences in the management of fungating wound with the participants. She presented pictures of patients suffering from fungating wounds and the progress they made following nursing intervention. Her engaging presentation gave the participants insights into her technique and the emotional journey as a medical professional. The conference ended with a lively panel discussion, which gave participants the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges ahead and the techniques they can apply when they care for their patients.
St Luke s ElderCare Changkat Centre Official Opening St Luke s ElderCare (SLEC) Changkat Centre marked its official opening on 26 April, bringing the total number of ElderCare centres to 12. The 725sq m Changkat Centre is also SLEC s first Senior Care Centre, with a larger area for wheelchair-bound clients to move around, dementia daycare services, soon-to-be introduced centre-based nursing services, and the capacity to care for 90 daycare clients. From left to right: Mr Lim Hock Chuan, CEO, St Luke s ElderCare; Professor Lee Hin Peng, Chairman, St Luke s ElderCare; Ms Irene Ng, MP, Tampines GRC; Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower. The event, held on a Saturday morning, was graced by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Manpower, and also by Ms Irene Ng, Member of Parliament, Tampines GRC. Prof. Lee Hin Peng, SLEC Chairman, other Board Members, Mr Lim Hock Chuan, CEO of SLEC and Dr Kenny Tan, COO of SLEC were present to host the Guest of Honour, VIPs and Grassroots leaders. Mr Ng Boon Wah, a former school band music instructor and SLEC client treated guests to a rousing accordion performance. The choir from one of our partner schools, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls Secondary School (PLMGSS), led by conductor Ms Choy Siew Woon, wowed the audience with two songs, filling the hall with their melodic voices. Following Prof. Lee s speech, Dr Khor gave insights into how the government envisions the elderly ageing within the community and homes, in an environment that they are familiar with, by taking steps to enlarge capacity in eldercare services across the island. To register as a client of St Luke s ElderCare Changkat Centre, please contact the Centre Manager, Ms Jenny Lim at Tel. 6789-9956. In his opening address, Prof. Lee Hin Peng, Chairman of St Luke s ElderCare, highlighted the importance of partnerships and cooperation between SLEC, government agencies, healthcare organisations, schools and the community in delivering eldercare to the residents. Learning for Tomorrow Juggling between work and studies is a feat that many of us would find demanding. But that has not stopped Yip Pek Hong in graduating from her course, Bachelor of Nursing, as the Most Outstanding Student. With the constant support from the Director of Nursing and her fellow colleagues, Pek Hong embarked on her two-year part time course in April 2012. It was not easy as she had to work during the day and study in the evenings and weekends. The late nights from studying were challenging but the support from my family was vital as they understood and supported the idea of investing time and money in education, Pek Hong recalls. The Director of Nursing and nurse managers took special care to plan the duty roster to allow Pek Hong and others like her to concentrate on their studies. They even acted as tutors, providing her with invaluable advice during her course. Her Yip Pek Hong, Senior Staff Nurse fellow colleagues also shared articles and textbooks, giving enough relevant reference resources to complete written assignments in time. Pek Hong has certainly come a long way since she first started her course and her commitment to patients has only strengthened. With the experience I have gained from academic studies, I hope to integrate it into practice, so as to provide better nursing care for my patients she shares. St Luke s Hospital would like to congratulate her for receving the Most Outstanding Student award. 2
Healthcare Humanity Award 2014 The annual Healthcare Humanity Award was set up to recognise and honour healthcare workers who are inspirational role models. It was originally known as the Courage Award, given out to healthcare workers in recognition for their extraordinary courage and selfless dedication in the fight against SARS outbreak in 2003. It has since evolved and today this award continues to honour esteemed healthcare professionals for their display of exemplary courage, compassion, dedication and selfless contributions. St Luke s Hospital is proud to have a winner at this year s Healthcare Humanity Award. Jasmine has not always been a Medical Social Worker (MSW). Fuelled with the desire to help the less fortunate, she left her stock broking and investment job in 2002 and started her journey in becoming a MSW. Her commitment in her new career led to postgraduate studies, allowing her to gain the knowledge in planning and developing programmes for patients as well as being a mentor to others starting out as MSWs. they started to see hope in despair, Jasmine knew she had made a difference to their lives. At St Luke s Hospital, she also implemented the hospital s Caregivers Support Programme to uplift the morale for caregivers who may feel lost or despondent when caring for their loved ones. Her display of compassion and extraordinary dedication when attending to the plight of the sick, disabled and disadvantaged helped patients and their families cope in times of a medical crisis. St Luke s Hospital would like to congratulate Jasmine for receiving this year s Healthcare Humanity Award. Jasmine Yong, Assistant Manager, Medical Social Worker As an MSW, Jasmine would work alongside patients and their families to address their concerns and anxieties. When Keeping patients safe with RFID The staff at St Luke s ElderCare Centres (SLEC) are constantly looking at ways to improve patient safety and have embraced the use of radio frequency identification tags (RFID) to help manage their elderly clients. The project that started in September 2013 is currently in use at Serangoon ElderCare Centre. Once the clients arrive at the centre, they are assigned a tag that they need to wear at all times. The care staff can then use the system to take daily attendance as well as log their checking in and checking out time. The system provides an overview and continuous tracking of clients movement within the centre allowing the care staff to zoom in on an individual s location at any time. As an added layer of security, a boundary alert will sound a visual and audio alarm if an elderly client wanders off the premises. An elderly client wearing the RFID tag. Technology has certainly improved our productivity in clients care as manpower can be redeployed to care for clients other needs. Using RFID has greatly helped us create a safer environment for our clients and streamlined our work processes. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our care to our clients, and hope to implement the RFID tags at more centres, says Ng Lay Ling, assistant director, St Luke s ElderCare. 3
Patient Testimonial Fast Track to Rehab Mr Lee Khai Fatt, 77, retiree. Years of putting his knees under strain finally took its toll on Mr Lee Khai Fatt, making the simplest task of walking painful for him. Mr Lee spent over 40 years working on supertankers and shipyards, often carrying heavy pipes and moving in tight places to carry out his job. After retiring in 1999, he thought nothing until the pain in both knees became unbearable. It was then that he decided to undergo a total knee replacement. In October 2013, Mr Lee underwent total knee replacement surgery on his right leg. Upon discharge, he went home to recuperate while his wife became his full-time caregiver. While at home, Mr Lee felt he could not recover as quickly as he had hoped for, as his wife was not trained to help him in his physical recovery and was also afraid of putting Mr Lee through more pain. To make matters worse, his knee began to swell and his son was getting increasingly distraught in his attempts to get an earlier appointment with his doctor. As with any operation, he also required help with his wound dressing. Mr Lee would make the weekly trip to the polyclinic for wound dressing services as his wife would not touch his surgical wound for fear that she might expose him to risks of infection. When Mr Lee went for his second total knee replacement for his left leg in April 2014, he learnt from past experience and was determined to make his recovery process as smooth as possible. When he heard of St Luke s Hospital s Fast Track programme, he opted for it. Under the programme, Mr Lee would continue his recovery at St Luke s Hospital after his surgery at the restructured hospital. His recovery programme would be planned out even before he set foot in the restructured hospital. Mr Lee starting his day rehabilitation exercises at St Luke s Hospital Following his second operation, he spent his recovery sessions with the physiotherapists at St Luke s Hospital as an inpatient. As an inpatient, the nurses would be on hand to attend to his wound dressing and he was confident that he would be well taken care of. There was also little anxiety from his family even when his knees began to swell after the procedure. This arrangement eliminated the need for Mr Lee to visit the polyclinic for his weekly wound dressing and he is now able to recover faster with rehab exercises prescribed and supervised by the physiotherapists. His family members felt relieved as he was taken care of by medical professionals. Having undergone two total knee operations, these two experiences are a hundred thousand miles apart, said Mr Lee. Following his discharge from the Hospital, Mr Lee now attends St Luke s day rehab, spending time with his physiotherapist as he makes his way towards regaining his mobility. St Luke s Hospital raises funds to provide healthcare for patients in need. As a charity, we depend on our supporters and donors to contribute to the $4 million we have to raise this year to further subsidise the poor. We need your help to keep healthcare costs affordable for patients in need. In addition, St Luke s ElderCare, running 12 centres around Singapore, requires $2 million to meet their operating deficit. Your donation will help the numerous needy patients who come through our doors. Please consider a one-time or monthly contribution. Your decision counts. 4
SLH & SLEC are both an Institution of Public Character (IPC). SLH IPC number: HEF0004/G SLEC IPC number: IPC000155 I want to help! Note: It is important to state your NRIC / FIN to receive a tax deduction. Tax deductible receipts will only be issued for donations of S$50 and above. Donor s Details Name (in block letters) Dr/ Mr/ Mrs/ Ms/ Mdm: NRIC / FIN: Tel (H): Tel (HP): Address: Postal Code: Email: Donations by Cheque Thank you for your support. St Luke s Hospital and St Luke s ElderCare need your help to continue serving our patients. You may choose to support one or both of our charities. St Luke s Hospital I wish to donate to St Luke s Hospital the amount of: o $1000 o $500 o $200 o $100 o $ Cheque No.: Cheque to be payable to St Luke s Hospital. St Luke s ElderCare Ltd I wish to donate to St Luke s ElderCare the amount of: o $1000 o $500 o $200 o $100 o $ Cheque No.: Cheque to be payable to St Luke s ElderCare Ltd. Please check the appropriate box: Please Seal This Area. o This is a personal donation Donations by Credit Card o This is a corporate donation Company name: Address: UEN / ROC No.: Please Seal This Area. Please check one or both. I wish to donate to: o St Luke s Hospital o St Luke s ElderCare Ltd I would like to make a o MONTHLY o ONE-TIME contribution of $ Type of card: o Visa o Mastercard Credit Card No: Name as on card: Expiry date: (mth) / (yr) Signature: For further enquiries, please contact Gregory Lee, Deputy Director, Corporate Communications & Partnerships at 6895 3275. (Q214) 5
BUSINESS REPLY SERVICE PERMIT NO. 07905 Postage will be paid by addressee. For posting in Singapore only. ST LUKE S HOSPITAL Finance Division 2 Bukit Batok Street 11 Singapore 659674 Thank You! Please Seal This Area. OUR VISION To be a Christian community hospital of excellence, showing God s love and compassion in caring especially for the elderly. OUR MISSION We are committed to providing quality, holistic and compassionate care to our patients. 6
Mobile X-ray brings convenience to our patients To ensure that patients receive timely medical care, the healthcare staff at St Luke s Hospital can now bring X-ray services to the patient s bedside with the mobile X-ray unit. The unit can be wheeled to the wards at a moment s notice and the patient can have their X-ray taken at their bed. Before this service was available, patients are usually wheeled from their wards to the X-ray room. This process tends to take up a fair bit of time. During the transfer process, patients may have to be moved multiple times; from bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to the X-ray unit and back. This short journey may not be easy for some patients, especially for those who are medically unwell. The use of technology has greatly raised the comfort level and reduced the waiting time for our patients, eliminating the hassle and discomfort of multiple transfers. Stamford Tyres sponsors St Luke s ElderCare You may have heard the advertisements on Kiss92 FM for the St Luke s ElderCare (SLEC) and Stamford Tyres charity drive during the festive season. Stamford Tyres, one of the largest independent tyre and wheel distributors in Southeast Asia, organised the drive from December 2013 to February 2014 and raised a total of $35,182 to benefit the clients of SLEC. Stamford Tyres Vice President, Mr John Ang, expressed that the aim of the charity drive was to play a part in alleviating the challenges faced by Singapore s ageing population and support the seniors who had built the nation. The funds raised will go towards providing social daycare, active rehabilitation and wellness programmes to more elderly clients at SLEC s 12 centres. To raise the amount, Stamford Tyres donated $1 for every tyre or rim purchased at their retail outlets, while $8 was From left: Dr Kenny Tan, COO, SLEC receives the cheque from Mr John Ang, VP & Head of Retail Chain Singapore, Stamford Tyres donated for every car-servicing package sold. In addition to the donations, they also sponsored tyres for St Luke s ElderCare s 26 vehicles. We sincerely thank Stamford Tyres for their generous contribution and everyone who helped make this drive a success. St Luke s Hospital welcomes: Join us! Medical : Consultants, Associate Consultants, Registrars, Medical Officers Nursing : Senior/Nurse Managers, Clinical Instructors, Staff Nurses (Inpatient), Enrolled Nurses (Inpatient), Patient Services Assistants Allied Health : Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Medical Social Workers and Pharmacists Administration : Executive (Corporate Communications & Partnerships), Administrative Assistants Chaplaincy : Assistant Chaplains Ancillary : Therapy Assistants We also provide bursaries for students pursuing the Diploma in Nursing / Physiotherapy / Occupational Therapy at Nanyang / Ngee Ann Polytechnics. Keen? Submit your detailed resume & include the position applied for to hr@slh.org.sg. More information at www.slh.org.sg. St Luke s ElderCare welcomes: Care Staff Support Staff Driver Kitchen Assistant Supervisor Centre Manager Assistant Centre Manager Submit your detailed resume and the position applied for to hq@ slec.org.sg. More information at www.slec.org.sg. 7
Core Graduation Celebration: Pioneer Batch Honoured Nine care staff from St Luke s ElderCare Centres, together with their trainers, took centre stage at the Core Graduation Celebration dinner held on 23 May. Each care staff was presented with Certificates of Achievements by Mr Lim Hock Chuan, CEO, St Luke s ElderCare, for completing their studies in a range of topics, during a two-month course. Topics such as Understanding Ageing, Communicating with Older Persons, Hygiene & Infection Control, Feeding Assistance, Safety & Fall Prevention, Use of Mobility Equipment, Transfers and Toileting Assistance, were studied in both theory and practical settings. During the dinner, a portion of their training was presented, to demonstrate the sensitivities required when communicating with older persons. Graduates were placed in the elderly s shoes, through role-play, and performed daily tasks such as picking up coins from the floor and reading the newspapers. These showed the difficulties that the elderly might face, with age-related issues such as a decline in vision or mobility. I really enjoyed myself and looked forward to attending every module, says Chan Su San from the recently opened Changkat Centre. Mary Ng, from Telok Blangah Centre agrees: We ve picked up invaluable lessons and made lots of friends across the centres. Now, equipped with the skills and expertise required to take care of the elderly, we look forward to putting them to good use. In addition to application, the nine graduates, including Julie See, Ken Lim, Jennifer Thomas, Davis Loh, Nancy Tee, Sky Goh, and Eric Lee, are already sharing their knowledge with the rest of the staff, says Susan Sim, Centre Manager for Golden Years Centre. Spurred by the success of this training module, plans are also underway for the next training course. Top: The nine graduates with their trainers, Mr Lim Hock Chuan, CEO, St Luke s ElderCare and Dr Kenny Tan, COO, St Luke s ElderCare Above: Graduates role-playing as the elderly St Luke s Hospital 2 Bukit Batok Street 11, Singapore 659674 Tel: 6563 2281 Fax: 6561 8205 Website: www.slh.org.sg Email: general@slh.org.sg St Luke s ElderCare (Headquarters) 2 Bukit Batok Street 11 Singapore 659674 Tel: 6567 0708 Website: www.slec.org.sg Email: hq@slec.org.sg St Luke s ElderCare Centres Bukit Timah Centre Block 310, Clementi Avenue 4 Tel: 6873 1772 Clementi Centre Blk 602, Clementi West Street 1 Tel: 6872 2210 Hougang Centre Blk 126, Hougang Avenue 1 Tel: 6382 2366 Serangoon Centre Blk 217, Serangoon Avenue 4 Tel: 6285 6004 Telok Blangah Centre Blk 33, Telok Blangah Way Tel: 6273 3466 Yishun Centre Blk 740, Yishun Avenue 5 Tel: 6759 9053 Changkat Centre Blk 350/351 Tampines Street 33 Tel: 6789 9956 Golden Years Centre Blk 831, Hougang Central Tel: 6386 2273 Jurong East Centre Blk 327, Jurong East St 31 Tel: 6569 0415 Tampines Centre Blk 101, Tampines Street 11 Tel: 6786 7688 Whampoa Centre Blk 97, Whampoa Drive Tel: 6252 9661 8