The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) announced new partnerships with seven key healthcare and social sector players to ramp up capability-building and develop talent across various areas of integrated care. The seven partners are the Agency for Integrated Care, Fei Yue Community Services, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, Lions Befrienders Service Association (Singapore), National Healthcare Group, National University Health System and Singapore Health Services Pte Ltd.
Group photo of GOH, SUSS Pro-chancellor, SUSS President, MOU Witnesses and SignatoriesThis morning, separate Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) were inked with each partner at the inaugural Integrated Care Learning Symposium organised by SUSS, signifying the commitment from SUSS to develop comprehensive initiatives that will enhance the integrated care sector in Singapore.
Themed “Strengthening Capabilities for Integrated Care in a ‘Super-aged’ Society’”, the event was graced by Guest-of-Honour Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Education and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, who also witnessed the MOU signing ceremony.
Guest of Honour, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Education and Second Minister for Foreign AffairsA first-of-its-kind event, the symposium held at the SUSS Performing Arts Theatre gathered over 400 attendees, including senior representatives from the healthcare and social sector and industry partners, to facilitate knowledge exchange and best practices sharing to raise overall capabilities in delivering integrated care, which has become increasingly important as nearly one in four Singaporeans will be seniors 65 years and above by 2030.
Professor Tan Tai Yong, SUSS President, said, “We are excited to host the first-ever Integrated Care Learning Symposium at SUSS. With Singapore being one of the world’s fastest-ageing nations, the need for comprehensive, coordinated and patient-centric care for seniors has never been more critical. Through the symposium, we hope to lead the way in furthering discussion on tackling existing issues in integrated care and explore how we can better close current gaps. We are also pleased to work with our new partners, all major players in Singapore’s integrated care sector. By tapping on SUSS’ expertise in workplace learning and gerontology, we hope to develop talents and further advance the standard of Singapore’s integrated care sector to improve healthcare outcomes and quality of life for seniors.”
At the symposium, representatives from each partner organisation shared their learnings across a variety of topics on healthcare and community care, including a presentation by a representative from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on healthy ageing.
SUSS has an existing collaboration with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Community Health Services at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to train Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) assessors in Singapore, with 42 assessors trained last year and another 40 to be trained this year with SingHealth.
A. Highlights at the Integrated Care Learning Symposium
- Reimagining Healthcare – Building a Strong Community Care Foundation by Mr Sng Hock Lin, Chief of Silver Generation Officer, Agency for Integrated Care
- Fill in the Blanks – Establishing an integrated care ecosystem with Fei Yue Active Ageing Centres by Ms Jenny Tiew, Assistant Director, Care @ Community and Healthcare Support, Fei Yue Community Services
- “Sustainability Learning” at the Workplace – A Nursing Home’s Perspectives by Mr William Loh, Assistant Director of Learning and Organisational Development, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital
- Tech-Enabled Eldercare: Enhancing Community Care and Empowering Lives by Ms Justina Teo Jin Yuan, Assistant Director of Special Projects and Development, Lions Befrienders Service Association (Singapore)
- Workforce Transformation in Healthcare: Redesigning the Health Coach Role by Ms Tan Hui Ting, Principal Occupational Therapist of Community Health (Programmes) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, National Healthcare Group
- Care Integration in Action: Bukit Batok Township Model of Care by Mr Chew Tee Kit, Senior Medical Social Worker, Medical Social Services and Community Operations, Ng Teng Fong Hospital, National University Health System
- Building a Non-Clinical Workforce for a Sustainable Healthcare System: A Case Study in SingHealth by Associate Professor Lee Kheng Hock, Deputy CEO, Education and Community Partnerships, Singapore Health Services Pte Ltd
- Ecosystem approach to building up community care capacity – the Loving Heart experience with health-social-community integration by Dr Loke Wai Chiong, Consultant, SUSS SR Nathan School Lead, SUSS and Senior Consultant for MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation
- Implementing Care for Healthy Ageing, UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) by Dr Yuku Sumi, Acting Unit Head, Medical Officer, Ageing and Health (AAH) Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health and Ageing, World Health Organization
B. Partner Quotes
“As a superaged society, Singapore will see one in four citizens aged 65 and above by 2030 — up from one in six today. With this, it is vital to attract and develop professional talent in the Community Care sector and expand our volunteer networks. With the signing of this MOU, we look forward to the inroads we will make in both areas. We hope that the synergy of AIC and SUSS will facilitate the enhancement of care provision and encourage innovation in the sector. The Silver Generation Office is also excited to equip new volunteers from SUSS with the necessary knowledge and skills to support seniors in our community,”
Mr Sng Hock Lin, Chief of the Silver Generation Office at the Agency for Integrated Care
“Fei Yue is delighted to partner with SUSS and various healthcare and community partners to enhance health and social care integration in the community. We look forward to seeing the synergy of this partnership pave the way for new innovations, growth, and possibilities toward a holistic integrated care system that realises a shared vision of a happy and healthy aging community. As we embark on this collaborative journey, we are committed to working hand in hand, sharing knowledge and expertise, to create a brighter and more inclusive future for the elderly members of our community.”
Ms Jenny Tiew, Assistant Director, Care @ Community, Fei Yue Community Services
“We are delighted to partner with SUSS in our journey to build healthcare capabilities and nurture the next generation of healthcare professionals through internships, job placements, collaborative projects, research and training programmes. Through this collaboration, we look forward to deepening the skills, supporting the expansion of job roles and elevating the standard of care through new innovative solutions to address the sector’s evolving needs. As a learning organisation, we remain committed to working with our partner to build up our capabilities to stay future-ready.”
Dr Mok Ying Jang, CEO, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital
"Lions Befrienders is delighted to deepen our partnership with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) in this meaningful journey of shared learning and co-creation. We look forward to a robust exchange of knowledge and expertise and new collaborations to build capabilities in community care. At Lions Befrienders, we believe it is through the sharing and impartation of knowledge and experiences that the sector will move in ONE Might Force as we gear up and embrace super-aged society with much delightful anticipation. We wish the partnership continued success."
Ms Karen Wee, Executive Director, Lions Befrienders
“Good health and increasing lifespans involve physical, mental and social dimensions. To foster a healthy population, we need to marshal our resources to go upstream into the community – schools, workplaces, and neighbourhoods – to influence behaviours early, consistently, and better integrate health and social care. NHG is thus excited to partner SUSS, social agencies and healthcare providers through this MOU to expand on our efforts to enhance capabilities and enable effective care integration in Central and North Singapore for healthier, happier communities.”
Professor Philip Choo, Group CEO, National Healthcare Group
“NUHS is excited to partner with SUSS to strengthen our healthcare workforce and develop an integrated health and social ecosystem. As the regional health manager for the western population in Singapore, we are keen to actively work with more partners to advance community pilot programmes and initiatives that improve population health, promote preventive health and enhance overall well-being. It becomes paramount for us to intensify these efforts to empower Singaporeans to live well and age well, as Singapore approaches 'super-aged' status in 2026.”
Adjunct Associate Professor Michael Ong, Group Director, Allied Health Council, and Centre Director, Centre for Health Professionals Training, National University Health System
“SingHealth is glad to expand and deepen its partnership with SUSS to foster a vibrant synergy between the two organisations in the areas of academia as well as collaborations in research and in applied knowledge and expertise. This partnership will harness SingHealth’s expansive clinical expertise and the teaching excellence of SUSS to provide students with real-world insights and perspectives, up-to-date industry knowledge as well as the opportunity to apply their skills through job placement opportunities and internships in SingHealth’s institutions.
I’m confident that this partnership will enable us to better address the areas of urgent manpower and resourcing needs as we augment the pipeline of highly trained healthcare professionals to meet the demands of Singapore’s rapidly ageing population.”
Professor Ivy Ng, Group CEO, SingHealth
C. Details of MOU
SUSS will collaborate with the various industry partners on the following:
a. Co-identification and Review of Industry Capability Needs
- Identify and review industry capability needs and critical areas for manpower development.
b. Strengthen Workplace Developments
- Enhance workplace developments that align with the business strategies to support workplace transformation. This may involve but is not limited to consultancy work and/or activities such as job evaluation, job re-design, process review, process redesign, upskilling, reskilling, and performance management.
c. Capability Building through Professional Development
- Support capability building through professional development interventions and/or training programmes. These initiatives may include but are not limited to the designing, developing and delivery of interventions, courses, workshops, seminars, masterclasses, and other relevant training activities to address the industry’s needs effectively.
d. Career Development and Job Placement Opportunities
- Provide career development opportunities for students and professionals in the industry. This may include but is not limited to facilitating job placement opportunities, internships, industry projects, and networking events to enhance students’ employability and industry readiness.
e. Service Learning
- Incorporate service-learning initiatives that allow students to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world settings to address community needs and contribute to social impact. This may involve but is not limited to community projects, volunteer work, and partnerships with organisations to provide meaningful learning experiences for students while making a positive difference in society.
f. Student Exchange/Scholarship/Sponsorship
- Facilitate student exchange programs, scholarships, and sponsorships to promote cultural exchange, academic growth, and international collaboration. This may include but is not limited to opportunities for students to study abroad, participate in exchange programs with partner institutions, and receive financial support through scholarships or sponsorships to pursue their educational and professional goals.
g. Promotion of Knowledge Exchange, Learning, and Collaboration
- Establish a collaborative environment that promotes knowledge exchange, learning, and collaboration between the academic and industry sectors. This collaboration aims to facilitate the sharing of insights, best practices, and emerging trends through various activities and platforms. These activities may include collaborative industry case studies, guest lectures, workshops, seminars, mentoring programs, and advisory services.
- By bridging the gap between academia and industry, this collaboration will provide students with valuable real-world perspectives, up-to-date industry knowledge, and equip industry experts with the necessary skills to deliver effective and relevant instruction. Additionally, both parties will participate in and/or co-organise events, activities, and learning platforms such as speaker series, learning journeys, communities of practice, workshops, masterclasses, and conferences. These initiatives will foster a collaborative environment for continuous learning and promote industry knowledge dissemination.
h. Applied Research Collaboration
- Engage in collaborative applied research projects to address industry challenges and explore innovative solutions. This may involve but is not limited to conducting research studies, sharing research findings, and leveraging the expertise of both academia and industry to develop practical applications, technologies and innovative approaches that can benefit the industry, and address specific challenges or needs identified through collaborative research efforts.
i. Other Activities of Mutual Benefit and Interest
- Any other activities, programs, or initiatives of mutual benefit and interest identified by the Parties from time to time.