More Nurses Will Be Trained To Anchor Care In Community Settings

They Will Also Take On Leadership Roles In Nursing Homes, Offer End-Of-Life Care

- Joyce Teo

More nurses will be trained to anchor care in community care settings, take on leadership roles in nursing homes, as well as deliver end-of-life care in the community to cope with a rapidly ageing population, said Mr Ong Ye Kung, Health Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies.

"If community care is effective, I think we will be able to detect health concerns as early as possible. And if we can detect them early, the conditions will be less severe; intervention will be as simple as possible," he said.

He was speaking at the 2025 Nurses' Merit Award ceremony held at the Shangri-La Hotel on July 7. There, he conferred the award on 141 nurses who have performed exceptionally well and contributed to raising the nursing profession.

Three nursing roles will be scaled up to strengthen care in the community, where there is a growing need, including nurses at community health posts (CHPs).

Right now, some 90 percent of active ageing centres (AACs) have CHPs—nurses are stationed there once a week.

Mr Ong said the extensive outreach of AACs needs to be tapped for preventive or continual care to reach seniors, through the CHPs.

This will complement hospital acute care and strengthen Singapore's preventive care strategy Healthier SG and the work of family doctors.

Each day, there are six new kidney failure patients and 60 new heart attack and stroke patients in Singapore, and if the CHPs can help those who are unaware of their condition or reluctant to seek help, the numbers can be lowered," Mr Ong pointed out.

"Nurses in CHPs will need to establish themselves as the first point of contact for residents with chronic conditions, preventive health needs, or emerging symptoms," he said.

They will be able to conduct assessments, provide health counselling to patients, and ensure that patients are adhering to the health plans prescribed by their Healthier SG doctor.