SINGAPORE – Serangoon Polyclinic, the largest polyclinic in Singapore, opened its doors on Nov 29 with a new care model that has a healthcare team looking after patients from the same family and a more structured approach to assess and treat frailty.
It will also be the first NHG Health polyclinic to include oral health in its approach to manage frailty for patients aged 65 and above.
The polyclinic is designed to serve the growing senior population in Serangoon, where about one in five residents is aged 65 and above.
Located across Serangoon Central from Nex shopping mall and Serangoon MRT station, the seven-storey 11,600 sq m facility expects to see around 1,300 patients each day, said Dr Liu Changwei, family physician, consultant and head of Serangoon Polyclinic.
Advanced practice nurses will identify patients at risk of oral complications, and refer them to the polyclinic’s new dental clinic. Those with more complex needs will be referred to specialised dental care.
At Serangoon Polyclinic, family members can be cared for by the same team, to improve the continuity of care for families with chronic conditions such as asthma and obesity.
This “family empanelment” care model
builds on “teamlet care”,
where patients see the same team of doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals each time they are at the polyclinic.
For example, children aged between six and 18 with mild to moderate asthma will be placed in the same care team as their parent with chronic conditions. The team can advise on how the lifestyle of family members, such as smoking, affect the child’s asthma.
With the opening of Serangoon Polyclinic, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that Singapore is on track to have 32 polyclinics by 2030. There are now 27 polyclinics across the island.
