Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister Of State For Health, at Tan Tock Seng Hospital Nurses’ Day Celebration, 30 July 2019

Prof Chua Hong Choon, Deputy Group CEO,  National Healthcare Group

Dr Eugene Fidelis Soh, CEO, Tan Tock Seng Hospital

Dr Jamie Mervyn Lim, COO, TTSH

A/Prof Chin Jing Jih, Chairman Medical Board, TTSH

Mr Yong Keng Kwang, Chief Nurse, TTSH

All nurses

Ladies and gentlemen  

1.    Good afternoon, and a very Happy Nurses’ Day to all of you! I am delighted to join you to celebrate and honour the work of nurses on this special occasion.

2.    This year’s Nurses’ Day theme “One Team, One Dream” is a powerful reminder to us that it takes a team to realise a dream. With a strong workforce of almost 3,800 nurses working collaboratively as a team, the nursing practices and model of care in TTSH have been transformed to meet the healthcare needs of our population.

Innovation and transformation of nursing practice

3.    The nursing role will continue to evolve as the healthcare needs of our population change. As our nurses take on a wider range of healthcare responsibilities, innovation and continuing education will be key enablers for nurses to drive change for a better healthcare system and care delivery.

4.    Healthcare innovation brings new and more effective ways of solving problems. But it does not necessarily entail complex projects involving advanced technology such as augmented reality. Often all it takes is having a fresh look at how things can be done differently. I heard that nurses in TTSH are champions of “kampong innovations” – small but impactful ideas that improve patient care delivery process and system.

5.    For example, patients with dementia or delirium often try to pull out their tubes or catheters as they become agitated. To protect them from further injury, mittens with Velcro fastening are used but these can be easily removed by patients. Nurses also have to remove the Velcro fastenings whenever they check patients’ vital signs.

6.    To solve this, nurses in Ward 5A prototyped a new design of what they call Idea Hand Mittens, which have better cushioning and more secure fastenings with a zip for easy access to patients’ fingers for blood glucose monitoring and vital sign checks without having to remove the mitten. The new design resulted in a significant decrease in cases of tubing dislodge, and was even displayed during the Singapore Design Week as an example of point-of-care innovation.

7.    Patients from the Palliative wards may need up to six different types of pre-diluted drugs in a syringe form upon discharge. As their colours and labels appear similar, it is hard for caregivers to learn and differentiate the drugs easily. Our Palliative nurses hence developed colour-coded labels for these drugs prior to patients’ discharge, which include information such as the drug name, management of common symptoms, drug strength, and administration frequency, so that caregivers are able to learn the usage of the drugs more easily. This has cut down time taken for discharge process up to 50%, and reduces caregivers’ stress levels and enables them to spend more quality time with their loved ones at the end of life journey.

Expertise and education

8.    The growth of the nursing profession also requires the continued expansion of knowledge and upgrading of skills. The Centre for Asian Nursing Studies (CANS) was established in 2016 to generate nursing leadership, innovation and research. In the three years since, the Centre has initiated co-learning relationships with overseas nurse leaders and educators to strengthen nursing practice in Singapore and the region.

9.    For example, last year, CANS launched a Wound Care programme for healthcare professionals across the country and region. Based on an international programme by the German certification body, Initiative Chronische Wunden (ICW), the programme covers topics on wound care and management for members of a multidisciplinary care team. I understand that TTSH Nursing is the first in Asia to offer the advanced programme under the ICW certification, placing you at the forefront of nursing care practices, and the expertise of our nurses are recognised in a field of care that is increasingly important to an ageing population.

10.   Earlier this year, a three-way partnership was inked by CANS, its sister Centre for Allied Health and Pharmacy Excellence (CAPE), and the Singapore Institute of Technology. Together, the three parties will be co-developing courses for community healthcare workers with the aim of equipping staff with inter-disciplinary clinical skills, so that they can better holistically manage residents in the community.

Weathering the storms

11.    In late November last year, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) took over the functions of the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC). Since then, NCID nurses have been stepping up and receiving regular training such as participating in regular ward activation, decant and conversion, localised outbreak and specialised High Level Isolation Unit drills. To provide care for a wide range of cases including children, NCID nurses have also been cross trained with colleagues from KKH in preparation of the need to care for Paediatric patients if there is an outbreak.

12.   Our NCID nurses have also demonstrated their versatility in various clinical care areas, be it inpatient, outpatient, dialysis unit and intensive care or engaging in public health activities. In fact, some of our nurses at NCID were deployed to manage the first Monkeypox case in Singapore.

13.    To all of you who work in NCID, your work over the first half of this year has exemplified the courage and resilience of the nursing profession. Keep up the good work and the can-do spirit going.

Closing

14.    Nursing is more than a job. It is a calling with a deep purpose, and I hope you hold on to that sense of purpose that first drew you to this profession as you face the challenges ahead. As healthcare expands and evolves to meet the changing needs of our population, nurses also need to grow alongside so that you can continue to make a difference in the lives of your patients.

15.    Thank you for your dedication, compassion, and care.You are indeed our super-heroes!A very Happy Nurses Day to all of you!