Primary Care Networks for Better Patient Care in the Community

19 January 2018

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PRIMARY CARE NETWORKS FOR BETTER PATIENT CARE IN THE COMMUNITY

1. From January 2018, 8 new Primary Care Networks (PCN) will join 2 existing PCNs[1] under the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) PCN scheme. Together, the 10 PCNs will comprise 340 General Practitioner (GP) clinics that offer holistic and team-based primary care for Singaporeans.

2. As part of our effort to enhance primary care, MOH has introduced the PCN scheme to encourage private GP clinics to organise themselves into networks that support more holistic and team-based care. Under the scheme, patients will receive care through a multi-disciplinary team (including doctors, nurses and primary care coordinators) for more effective management of their chronic conditions. Patients are also able to access additional ancillary and support services provided by the PCN. These include diabetic foot and eye screening, as well as nurse counselling, which are important for good management of chronic conditions.

3. The PCN scheme is part of MOH’s strategic shift to move care beyond the hospital to the community, so that patients can receive effective care closer to home. With an ageing population, chronic disease prevalence and complex care needs will be on the rise. A strong primary care sector will serve as the bedrock of our healthcare system, and help Singaporeans keep healthy and manage their chronic conditions holistically within the community.

4. An application call for new PCNs was held from 1 April to 31 May 2017. After evaluating the proposals, MOH has appointed 8 new PCNs. Please refer to Annex A for the list of 8 new and 2 existing PCNs, and their participating GPs. MOH has also appointed the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) to administer the scheme and work with the successful applicants to implement their plans.

5. A budget of $45 million per year has been committed to support the PCN scheme over the next five years. Participating GPs will be able to tap on funding and support from MOH and AIC for their development and operating needs to provide effective team-based care for patients. [2]

6. Senior Minister of State for Health Dr Lam Pin Min said, “At the heart of the PCNs is the desire to deliver holistic care and achieve better outcomes for Singaporeans with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes. I am heartened to see many GPs stepping forward to transform the way care for chronic conditions is delivered in the community. By coming together to form networks, these likeminded GPs can achieve economies of scale and optimise resources to deliver more holistic care in a team-based care model. MOH is committed to supporting the PCNs. We look forward to working with them and the wider primary care sector to better resource and support chronic disease management in the community.”

7. The public may refer to the link for more information. Interested GPs may refer to the following link for more information on how they may join the PCNs.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

15 JANUARY 2018

[1] The two existing PCNs are Frontier PCN and NUHS PCN.

[2] A Primary Care Network would typically be made up of 10 or more GP clinics. All PCN clinics are also CHAS Clinics.

ANNEX A: Listing of Primary Care Networks

Table caption

S/N	Primary Care Networks (PCNs)	PCN Leader[1]
1.	Assurance PCN	Dr Jacqueline Yam, Medical Director, AcuMed Medical Group
2.	Central-North PCN	Dr Teo Boon See, Family Physician & Medical Director, Camry Medical Centre
3.	Class PCN	Dr Leong Choon Kit, Family Physician, Mission Medical Clinic LLP
4.	Frontier PCN (with effect from 1 October 2015)	Dr Chong Chin Kwang, Family Physician, Director (Healthcare Services), Frontier Healthcare Group
5.	i-CARE PCN	Dr Lim Chien Chuan, Family Physician, Sims Drive Medical Clinic
6.	NUHS PCN (with effect from 1 April 2017)	Dr Kwong Kum Hoong, Family Physician, Princeton Family Clinic Pte Ltd
7.	Parkway Shenton PCN	Dr Jason Yap, Head, Training & Development, Parkway Shenton
8.	Raffles Medical PCN	Dr Chng Shih Kiat, Medical Director, Raffles Medical
9.	SingHealth Partners PCN
	(a) SingHealth DOT	Dr Lily Aw, Senior Consultant Family Physician, Lily Aw Pasir Ris Family Clinic & Surgery
	(b) SingHealth Regional	Dr Rick Chan, Family Physician, Kingsley Family Clinic
10.	United PCN	Dr Chee Boon Ping, Family Physician, Northeast Medical Group

[1] The PCN Leader oversees the overall development of the PCN, including clinical governance.