For their indomitable spirit and perseverance amid a myriad of challenges, and their outstanding contributions to healthcare, about 1,150 staff and service partners from Changi General Hospital (CGH) were celebrated at the Singapore Health Quality Service Awards (SHQSA) 2022. Find out more about their initiatives in delivering quality care to our patients and the community from hospital to home.
Staying Patient-Centric to the End
Since its introduction in August 2020 until December 2021, The Violet Programme has helped over 180 patients at home and 149 residents of nursing homes. Of these, about 90% who passed away did so at their place of preference.
Studies have shown that most patients in their final days prefer to be cared for at home or in nursing homes, by people they are familiar with. However, most patients pass away in acute hospitals as their caregivers at home or care teams at the nursing homes may not be equipped to manage their deteriorating condition. CGH partnered St. Andrew’s Community Hospital (SACH) and St. Andrew’s Nursing Homes in the Violet Programme, a palliative care service for home care patients with life-limiting, non-cancer conditions and residents of nursing homes whose prognoses are often uncertain.
Under this new model of care, the team adopts a “specialist-on-generalist” approach: the home nursing, home medical or nursing home teams provide general palliative care, while CGH’s specialist team steps in to manage patients’ symptoms when complexities arise. Patients may be referred through their home care programme or nursing homes, or by the care teams at CGH, ensuring that patients receive seamless care till the end of their life journey.
“Through the Violet Programme, we honour our patients’ needs and desires to spend their final days with their loved ones in a familiar place, by increasing access to community palliative care where possible,” said Dr Koh Lip Hoe, Co-Lead of the Violet Programme, Senior Consultant, Department of Geriatric Medicine, and Head of Palliative Care Service, CGH. “For their families, our support and partnership with the home care and nursing home teams means they are able to journey with the patients until the very end, and find closure in those moments. In addition, it has helped reduce unnecessary admissions to acute hospitals.” The collaborative effort saw the CGH, SACH and St. Andrew’s Nursing Home team (photo below) bag the Best Team Award at the SHQSA 2022.
Enhancing Patient Safety as a Team
The STAR Team (from left): Neo Soon Keow, Assistant Director, Nursing; Lim Jia Yan, Nurse Clinician; Ma Chongyan, Nurse Clinician; Qin Jing, Nurse Clinician; Tang Hong Yan, Assistant Nurse Clinician.
The Strive To Achieve Results (STAR) team, comprising CGH nurses, strove to enhance patient safety by designing a safeguard to prevent the dislodgement of the Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC), taking into consideration the securement of the PICC, the visibility of the line insertion site, its ability to accommodate multi-directional insertions, as well as the comfort of the patients. “The project significantly improves patient safety and satisfaction,” said Ms Ma Chongyan, Nurse Clinician, and STAR Co-Leader. “We are tremendously pleased to be selected to receive the Best Team (Merit) Award. With this recognition, we feel truly motivated to continue our journey in quality improvement with the aim of benefitting more patients.”
CGH winners shared their thoughts on their awards.
Superstar (Merit) Award-Clinician Category
“I believe that none of us can be as successful as all of us, together. Through the initiatives we developed for COVID-19 testing and operational implementation, we forged rewarding friendships along the journey, and were able to make contributions that went beyond that of any single individual’s.”
“While COVID-19 is the crisis of our generation, it has also brought out the best in us, with everyone pitching in extra hours to handle our usual work as well as unexpected events. In this shared determination to overcome the pandemic, it is only natural that we pursue excellence in our work to ensure the safety and health of colleagues and patients.”
“The desire to improve the standard of care for my patients and collaboration with my colleagues motivates me to do my best each day.”
“Being able to help and learn from so many good women and men at CGH and SingHealth inspires and motivates me to continue to improve my work and touch the lives of my patients, friends, colleagues and students. I am grateful for the amazing work done as a team and look forward to doing much more for our patients to improve the population’s health in the coming years.”
Superstar (Merit) Award-Nursing Category
“The privilege of being able to care for patients and gain their trust is a big deal for me. The words of appreciation and simple gestures from patients and their family members — as well as seeing patients regain their health upon discharge — motivate me to pursue innovative ways to improve nursing care and make a difference in our patients’ lives.”
Superstar (Merit) Award-Allied Health Category
“Being able to reconnect people with their loved ones through helping them hear again keeps me motivated at work. To me, it is important to always have a spirit that seeks out opportunities, to strive to excel in the endeavours undertaken, and to always lend a helping hand to others along the way.”
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