A SingHealth Staff Publication

LITTLE SPARKONE

IN THIS ISSUEGiving to The Body of Knowledge • We Are One Family - President’s Challenge 2010 •SingHealth Humanitarian Relief Programme in Pakistan

Issue 05/FY10

Contents

19 Sharing Fun Times at Duke-NUS’ Oktoberfest

2 - 4 SingHealth Duke-NUS Scientifi c Congress 2010 • Giving to The Body of Knowledge• Poster Boys• It Takes Two

6 Creating a Healing Experience - Arts in SingHealth

10 A Girl in Pakistan - SHRP Mission Trip

13 Nursing with Tender, Loving Care - Sister Tay Ai Choo

15 Duke-NUS Medical Students Run for Cancer Research Funds

17A Sprinkling of Magic at SingHealth - Disney Institute Workshops

1Guest Editor

5Acknowledging Big Hearts -

SGH Volunteer Club

8We Are One Family -

President's Challenge 2010

12The Giving Spirit in Every Season -

Medical Social Workers

14Clinicians and Their

Passion for Volunteering

16Nursing Award Hat-trick -

Tan Chin Tuan Award Winners

18Excellence More Than a Buzzword -

SingHealth Ops Excellence Forum

On the CoverOft en what spurs us on to do

greater things is that one little

spark – someone who inspires

and stirs our spirit.

The sleeve that comes with this

special edition of me+SH doubles

as a photo-frame. Use it to display

a photo of your personal spark in

life and let them shine for you!

me+SingHealth or me+SH (pronounced /mesh/) represents who we are in SingHealth—as intertwining threads conveying synergy and complementing one another to form a beautiful fabric. me+SH links you to the action in all of SingHealth and around the healthcare industry.

Join us on SingHealth’s Facebook Page

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without the written permission of SingHealth and the publisher. The views and opinions expressed or implied in the publication are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily refl ect those of SingHealth and the publisher. Whilst due care has been exercised, both SingHealth and the publisher do not accept responsibility for errors in advertisements or articles, unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

MICA(P) 094/04/2010

SingHealth Editorial Team

Tan-Huang Shuo Mei Amelia Champion Katheryn Maung Arthur WongStephanie Jade Arlindita

Pepper Global

Alvin EeAriel ChewMichael KoekCandice Tang

75B Pagoda Street Singapore 059234Tel: +65 6221 1286

Copywriters: Monica LimDebbie Chia

f

Take a picture of our photo-frame

on your desk and send it to

me.sh@singhealth.com.sg

by 31 January 2011

Ten best entries will win a limited

edition me+SH tumbler each.

As healthcare professionals, all of us in SingHealth give of our talents  - to our patients, colleagues, the community at large and to the next generation of medical professionals as well. Uplift ing gift s of encouragement and support that everyone can aff ord are just as life-impacting.

Through our initiatives for President’s Challenge over the past seven years, we’ve touched thousands of lives with the $2million raised. Many of our colleagues go out of their way to contribute to causes they believe in, not only in Singapore but also overseas through medical missions and disaster relief programmes.

All who give meaningfully receive the reward of personal satisfaction. Others like the SGH Volunteer Club and Ms Sylvia Mun, a social worker from KKH, have received the President’s accolades for their outstanding contributions. The best returns on our giving comes when we give generously and cheerfully from whatever we have or whoever we are.

Let the stories of these little sparks in SingHealth inspire us to change lives for the better through our work and in the actions of our everyday lives.

OneLittle Spark

DR KWA CHONG TECK Director, SingHealth Foundation

Executive Director, National Dental Centre Singapore

Senior Consultant, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, National Dental Centre Singapore

1

Giving to The Body ofKnowledgeWhat happens when world-class research meets relentless scientifi c curiosity? The inaugural SingHealth Duke-NUS Scientifi c Congress, themed "Bridging Healthcare in the 21st Century," proved the best of two worlds as a platform for the two partners in Academic Medicine to push the frontier of healthcare and biomedical sciences.

• More than 3,100 delegates

• 97 speakers including medical practitioners, academic scholars, researchers and overseas healthcare leaders

• More than 680 posters and oral presentations

• 16,000 man hours put in for preparation by the organising committee, SingHealth Academy, and supporters

• 2,500 conference bags packed

SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS BY THE NUMBERS

The inaugural two-day Scientifi c Congress on 15-16 October 2010 proved to be a rousing success, with large crowds fi lling the conference halls and seminar rooms. Here are some of the numbers from the event.

Guest-of-Honour Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hian

Student performers from Nanyang Polytechnic wowed

the crowd with their opening percussion ensemble

Front row seats at the opening of the Congress

2

Poster BoysWith more than 680 research abstracts presented at the Congress, we shine the spotlight on two of the winners of the poster competition and their research.

DR GERARD TARULLI,

RESEARCH FELLOW, NCCS

Defi ning the origins of radio-

resistance in breast cancer

• SingHealth Duke-NUS Young Scientist Award• Best Poster Award, Basic Sciences

Breast cancer has a 10-20% chance of returning within fi ve years of treatment. Dr Tarulli’s research identifi ed the cell types in the breast that are sensitive and resistant to radiation.Preliminary fi ndings indicate that it is possible to sensitise specifi c breast cell types to radiation by inhibiting a particular gene. His research may eventually aff ect how we treat breast cancer, make treatment more eff ective and prevent breast cancer from recurring.

DR EDMUND SOH,

CONSULTANT,

DEPARTMENT OF

DIAGNOSTIC

RADIOLOGY, SGH

Image-guided versus blind

corticosteroid injections in

adults with shoulder pain

• Best Oral Presentation, Evidence-based Medicine (Ambulatory and Clinical Support Services)

Corticosteriod injections are widely used to treat shoulder pain in adults. In the fi rst systemic review of its kind in the world, Dr Soh has found that patients who receive ultra-sound guided corticosteroid injections show a statistically signifi cant improvement in shoulder pain and function, and receive fewer side eff ects, at six weeks, as compared to those undergoing blind injections administered using anatomical landmarks to guide the needle.

3

It Takes TwoWe talk to the event committee’s co-organising chairpersons Prof Teo Eng Kiong and Prof David Matchar to fi nd out their take on the signifi cance of the Congress

RE-LIVE THE CONGRESS

Missed out on all the scientifi c action? Visit the SingHealth Desktop Portal for Congress

highlights and selected lectures and workshops!

http://mysinghealth/Singhealth/

NewsNAnnouncement/

Scientifi c+Congress+2010.htm

PROF TEO ENG KIONG

CHIEF AND SENIOR CONSULTANT, DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL MEDICINE, CGH“The Congress is unique in that it attempts to address a wide range of topics, from healthcare policy to IT in healthcare to state-of-the-art treatment like stem cell therapy. It is about bridging and integrating healthcare in the 21st century.

“The power of this Congress is that it strings the many topics together and presents to the participants an integral picture of how these pieces can and should work together to synergise and optimise healthcare delivery.”

PROF DAVID MATCHAR

DIRECTOR, HEALTH SERVICES & SYSTEMS RESEARCH, DUKE-NUS GRADUATE MEDICAL SCHOOL“The Congress brought together a talented pool of researchers and practitioners to discuss some of the most pressing issues pertaining to the healthcare fi eld. By providing this open platform for discussion, the Congress was able to highlight issues for future research and collaboration among clinicians and researchers.

“The meeting was also an illustration of the fi rm collaborative spirit between SingHealth and Duke-NUS. The grouping of the two works to ensure that education, research and clinical practice are combined in a way that will yield robust results in the form of improved health outcomes.”

Prof David Matchar Director, Health Services & Systems Research, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical SchoolProf Teo Eng Kiong

Chief and Senior Consultant,

Department of General Medicine, CGH

4

Most volunteers will tell you that the best reward is the knowledge that they have made a diff erence in somebody’s life. The icing on the cake? Winning the nation’s most prestigious award for social service volunteerism.

BY MONICA LIM

Acknowledging

Winning the award makes me want to do m

ore

to help others. My motto is ‘Make someone

happy everyday! – Jamnarani Kannusamy (right)

The SGH Volunteer Club (SVC) was the proud recipient of the President’s Social Service Award under the Informal Group category on 15 November 2010 at the Istana.

Formally formed in 2009, it comprises an incredible 800-strong team of staff volunteers from all diff erent departments at SGH. We spoke to Jamnarani Kannusamy and Adon Chan, two active volunteers in SVC.

“Winning the award makes me want to do more to help others. My motto is ‘Make someone happy everyday!” chirped Jamnarani, the spritely Senior Staff Nurse at the SGH Major Operating Theatre.

Adon, a Senior Physiotherapist, agrees. “I always come away aft er each outreach activity feeling satisfi ed that we have given the benefi ciaries something to smile about and something to remember.”

The annual SGH Community Day sees SVC volunteers working directly with needy patients and their families from various Voluntary Welfare Organisations. This year SVC organised a charity bazaar, which raised funds for the President’s Challenge and an outing to Singapore Flyer with benefi ciaries from the Society for Physically Disabled.

Adon remembers fondly his fi rst outreach activity with SVC. “It was a logistic nightmare but everyone played their part and I came off feeling great!”

“Since I’ve been fortunate in my life, I want to help others out,” Jamnarani said. May the fi re for volunteerism seen in big-hearted individuals like them never be extinguished!

Big Hearts

I always come away after each outreach activity feeling satisfied that we have given the beneficiaries something to smile about and something to remember. – Adon Chan

5

Arts in SingHealth

Creating a

Healing Experience

I DREAMCanvases created by patients in the SGH Colorectal Cancer Support Group in collaboration with artist Ben Puah, where they painted dreams and experiences held close to their hearts. The works were displayed in SGH’s Arts Xpressions exhibition wall from Mar-Sep 2010

LES POULES (THE CHICKENS)

These (giant) French hens waddled their way in to SGH

on 19 Nov 2010 and brought a cackling good time for

patients and visitors

A hospital may be the last place you’d go to fi nd art. But you’ll notice many pleasant surprises between blank walls and signboards in our institutions. Other than providing a conducive environment for staff and visitors, it has been proven that art speeds up recovery and improves the patients’ sense of comfort and well-being.

The Arts For Health programme in SingHealth helps create this healing environment while also providing a venue for artists to share their talent with patients and staff . It started in 1998 as a volunteer-led monthly concert and over the years, the initiative has expanded to include visual art spaces, visiting performances, community art projects and art activities in patient support groups. Music therapy programmes in KKH and SGH have also helped patients cope with their illnesses.

Let’s take a look at some of these arty initiatives in our institutions...

6

MERRY MELODIES WITH NYP STUDENTSDon’t be surprised to hear live music playing in the wards! The 2009 H1N1 outbreak put a stop to the regular evening concert programmes for patients. So instead of bringing patients to concerts, the Merry Melodies programme, adopted by Nanyang Polytechnic, brings music directly to the bedside.

PSYCHEDELIC EYES

These colourful displays in SNEC were created by

artist Isabelle Desjeux using internal eye images

from the Centre's Ophthalmic Imaging Department

SINGAPORE DREAMBringing an art exhibition to the most unexpected place, CGH organised this exhibition of works by young local artists at their inpatient lobby throughout August 2010.

NYP students brin

ging Merry Melodies

to SGH ward 55B on 12 November 2010

BIRDSONGSPatients from the SGH Parkinson’s Support Group created paper clay birds. Combining muscular stimuli for patients, nature, and art, artist Michael Tan then used the birds in an SGH garden installation from Sep 2010 - Feb 2011

SGH patient Ms Lily Soh is portrayed here

with her creation

7

Jul-Sep – Youths from Beyond Social Services learned dance moves with SingHealth Corporate Offi ce and performed

at the fi nale at Istana. Volunteers also shared life-skills at sessions in September

We Are One FamilySupporting President’s Challenge 2010

13 Aug – Children from Casa Raudha

Women’s Home and Marine Parade Family

Service Centre were spellbound at a story-

telling session by DCEO Prof Ivy Ng in KKH28 Aug – Children-at-Risk Empowerment Association had a fun day at the pool with NHCS

15 Oct – Grand Finale at Istana with youth

performances and cheque presentation to

President S R Nathan

For the seventh consecutive year now, we have raised funds in support of President’s Challenge in various ways and eff orts. This year, the SingHealth group raised $380,000 for the benefi ciaries, far exceeding the target of $250,000.

With the theme of “We are One Family, One Community” we have gone one step further to add joy to the benefi ciaries’ lives through activities organised by members of our own SingHealth family of Institutions.

By touching the lives of the benefi ciaries, we strengthen families to grow together and in turn, build up a strong community.

12 Jun – A charity movie screening for 105 children and youths from the Jamiyah Children’s Home and Gracehaven gave a rousing start to

the eff ort

16 Jul – The elderly from St Luke’s

Eldercare enjoyed quality time and

activities with NNI volunteers

8

29 Aug – Members of the Down

Syndrome Association (Singapore) enjoyed a tea party with NDC

11 Sep – Members of the Society of the Physically Disabled went on an exhilarating ride on the Singapore Flyer with SGH volunteers

First overnight relay run in 2004

We raised 11,034 smiles in 2009

In 2004, SingHealth debuted in the President’s Challenge with the fi rst-ever around-the-island overnight relay run.

We went the extra mile and ran a total of 375 kilometers over the last few years.

In 2009, we launched the 10K Smiles Project to bring cheer to benefi ciaries, staff , and public despite the gloomy H1N1 climate.

Other fund raising activities done include charity car washes, food bazaars as well as dishing out specialities cooked by the management team.

Total funds raised now exceed $2 million.

Our eff orts have helped more than 40 needy benefi ciary organisations and touched thousands of lives.

Sharing smiles at the Istana with the beneficiaries

President S R Nathan, SingHealth Senior Management

and Organising Committee

7 Aug – Children from the New Hope Community Services

were treated by SingHealth Polyclinics

to a fun-fi lled day at the Jurong Bird Park and a

trip to the cinema

9

A Girl inPakistan BY DEBBIE CHIA

Every small eff ort counts. That was what Staff Nurse Suraidah bte Selamat, one among 15 staff volunteers sent by the SingHealth Humanitarian Relief Programme (SHRP), learnt during her medical mission trip to Sukkur, Pakistan this October.

Refl ecting on her experience, Suraidah shared, “It is not the magnitude of assistance that counts; but the little eff orts that matter.”

Suraidah, a Staff Nurse in SGH Ward 17, treated some 500 displaced families at the tent city with medical illnesses ranging from malnutrition to skin diseases.

The team of medical professionals, who provided relief between 11-30 October 2010, saw an infl ux of close to 300 patients each day, many of whom came from afar seeking medical treatment.

To cope with the demand, improvisation was key: “Innovation was crucial and especially so at a disaster site. With limited resources, we had to fi nd other ways to solve problems.” Despite the challenges, Suraidah’s experience was ultimately fulfi lling. “We received great satisfaction from seeing wounds that we had dressed get better and in some cases, healed. Moments like these kept us going,” she shared.

“Our contributions may be small and the eff ects may not be immediate, but we are able to better lives; no matter how small the eff ort.”

Speaking on the teamwork displayed by the medical team, A/Prof Mark Leong, head of SHRP, is very much encouraged by the display of professionalism despite the circumstances.

“They are united by their resolve to bring hope and relief to the unfortunate victims of natural catastrophes. What struck me is the camaraderie and bond amongst the team members that is so visible and strong even though some of them are meeting each other for the fi rst time.

Many of the cases that Suraidah attended to were of women and children

10

SINGHEALTH HUMANITARIAN RELIEF PROGRAMME (SHRP)Drawing from our SingHealth institutions to create a ready pool of healthcare volunteers, SHRP is poised to take humanitarian work to new frontiers to help communities in need.

Since its launch, SHRP has gathered a ready pool of more than 100 volunteers, and have been involved in several meaningful missions with our Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) partners to provide medical aid to needy communities in disaster-stricken countries.

Pakistan Flooding

Oct2010

SHRP – THE MISSIONS SO FAR

Asian Tsunami (Indonesia,

Philippines, Thailand)

Dec2004

May2006

Oct2005

May2008

Pakistan Quake West Java Quake Myanmar Cyclone Nargis

Nov2008

Yemen Floods

Oct2009

Sumatra Quake

Dr Eleanor Lim (left) from Team One attending to a patient at the Singapore field medical facility

A typical day in camp for our volunteers

”These ‘little eff orts’ from the medical volunteers are supported by the behind-the-scenes members of SingHealth Corporate Offi ce and institutions’ staff . We would not have been able to carry out the mission without the great teamwork by all of them.”

• A total of 3 doctors and 12 nurses were sent to Sukkur, Pakistan

• The fi rst team was deployed on 8 Oct, the second on 22 Oct

• 4,217 cases were seen

• 90% of patients have not received medical attention before arrival of the teams

• The most number of cases seen in a day was 341

• 50% are paediatric cases

• The average temperature was 38-40 oC

11

The Giving Spirit in Every Season

BY DEBBIE CHIA

me+SH speaks to two inspiring individuals, Janelle Chan and Sylvia Mun, on how the spirit of volunteerism is an all-year-round commitment.

JANELLE’S STORYJanelle Chan, a Medical Social Worker in SGH, has been volunteering at the Centre for Family Harmony (CFH) since 2009, handling cases of child abuse and broken families.

“As a volunteer, I provide support to families and children during transfers, supervision and counselling.

“Although the challenges are diffi cult, there is much satisfaction to be had. Most of the children I help are socially withdrawn and seeing little improvements in their behaviour gives me great inner joy.

“Parenting is never an easy topic to deal with, but it is a challenge that I am happy to overcome with my work.”

SYLVIA’S STORYSylvia Mun is the Chief Medical Social Worker in KKH. She is the youngest person to head a medical social work department in Singapore and Winner of the Outstanding Social Worker Award 2010.

“I have always been concerned about child abuse. Many children are in homes that are damaging. Sometimes, removing them for their home environment can cause further trauma.

“I feel that there needs to be more concerted eff ort in protecting these children. As ground workers, we can highlight the problems, but we need the right authorities to believe that something can be done. If we do that well, we can prevent a vicious cycle.

My wish is that all children are able to have the happy childhood that they rightfully deserve.”

Sylvia Mun receiving the Outstanding Social Worker Award 2010

Janelle Chan

12

Nursing with Tender, Loving Care

Medical mission trip to Pakistan.

Sister Tay is 2nd from left.

"Read the full

story on the

SingHealth

facebook page!"

Sister Tay Ai Choo, a Senior Nurse Clinician in SGH, showed us pictures of the medical mission trip to Pakistan that she had participated in. She showed us a tent with a shelf full of little boxes and trays containing packets of pills and medicine bottles of all shapes and sizes. This was the pharmacy and it was in this little tent that people would walk for miles and queue to see a doctor. Some of them have been ill for months and not seen a doctor.

According to Sister Tay, it must have been at least 38-39 oC in that tent and the air was unbreathable. There was limited food and water and they had to eat rice with sand in it. Yet it was really fulfi lling – they had a great sense of accomplishment knowing they had helped some of the people there.

We greatly admire Sister Tay for her humanitarian spirit. She’s not afraid to get her hands dirty and help in places that not many people would choose to go to. Those who do not know her well think she is strict and serious but aft er observing her, we realise she is a compassionate and magnanimous person. She emphasises the importance of a positive working attitude and inspires nurses to love what they do for their patients.

We feel she is creating a legacy of high standards in nursing and wound care, and she is truly a role model for younger nurses like us.

She emphasises the importance of a positive working attitude and inspires nurses to love what they do for their patients. – Andy and Joanna

An attachment stint in wound management for two SGH nurses, Staff Nurses Joanna Phone Ko and Andy Chua from SGH Ward 64, turned out to be an inspirational experience with life-long lessons in giving. They write about their experience.

BY JOANNA PHONE KO AND ANDY CHUA, SGH

(L-R) Andy, Joanna, and Sister Tay Ai Choo

13

Despite hectic work schedules and personal commitment, our doctors and Residents fi nd time to volunteer in community work overseas. BY MONICA LIM

Clinicians and their Passion for Volunteering

Using his expertise and skills, Dr Sean Yeoh from KKH Women’s Anaesthesia (O&G) Department went on a medical mission with Singapore International Foundation (SIF) for Emergency Obstetrics & Paediatrics Training of Trainers Project in Laos in Oct 2010. The team helped train the local medical staff in the areas of resuscitation and acute management of both obstetric and paediatric emergencies.

“Mission trips have always been one of the reasons why I wanted to become a doctor. Such missions give me a very diff erent view of how lucky I am to practise in Singapore, where we have enough resources to provide optimal care to every patient. I would like to go back to Laos to follow up on this project.”

Dr Peh Wee Ming has been volunteering for medical missions since he was a medical student with NUS. Now a SingHealth Resident, he co-founded Project Sabai and Project Lokun in Cambodia some four years ago. Under Project Sabai, the medical students installed a water fi ltration system to provide fresh water to Phun Chreh school and the surrounding villages.

Project Lokun involved providing basic health care to some villages in Cambodia. The project aims to contact more free hospitals there and improve the logistic network so that more villagers can have access to the free services and facilities.

“I recall a man with bad wound on his calf crawling to see the doctor. The doctors and students did some debridement of the wound and arranged for urgent transport to the main city hospital. Six months later, I saw that man walking, though with some diffi culties, to thank the doctors.”

Dr Peh Wee Ming, his teammates and villagers at Project Sabai

Mission trips have always been one of the reasons why I wanted to become a doctor. Such missions give me a very different view of how lucky I am to practise in Singapore

– Dr Sean Yeoh

Dr Sean Yeoh (left) with local

healthcare professionals in LaosDr Peh Wee Ming

14

On 21 November 2010, 28 Duke-NUS medical students from all four cohorts participated in the annual Run for Hope charity event at East Coast Park with a common objective to support cancer research. Run for Hope is an annual charity event organised by the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) with Four Seasons Hotel and The Regent Singapore to raise needed funds for cancer research. Since the inaugural class of 2007, Duke-NUS medical students have given tremendous support for this charity run every year.

“Run for Hope was a great event. Due to our busy schedules, it was particularly nice to see so many students and professors gather outside of school for a good cause. The other 1st year students and I were particularly motivated to fi nish the run quickly because of an exam the next day. I am defi nitely looking forward to participating in Run for Hope next year.”DAVID TAINTER

(1ST YEAR DUKE-NUS MEDICAL STUDENT)

“Seeing so many people united in a common cause spurred me to the fi nish line. Run for Hope is a great way for us [students] to take a break from our daily activities and at the same time allowing us to support our passions - fi ghting diseases and helping others.”PIPPA GUADALUPE VIEGELMANN

(3RD YEAR DUKE-NUS MEDICAL STUDENT)

0730 hours: Meeting point at East Coast Park for a group photo and a quick warm up.

0800 hours: The students had embarked on their respective run routes (4km or 10km). They take a respite from their busy schedule of tests and clerkships, stay healthy and raise funds for a worthy cause.

With hearts racing, muscles aching and heads pounding, everyone completed the meaningful race with tenacity. The students will definitely be back next year and every year!

Duke-NUSMedical Students Run for Cancer Research Funds

Run for Hope charity event at East Coast Park

15

Q: What made you take

up nursing?

PEN Ang Eng Hong (EH):

My best friend encouraged me to sign up for it with her but ironically enough, she was not selected. PEN Rokiah binte Sulaiman

(R): When I was young, I used to accompany my mother to the clinic for checkups. I admired the nurses and joined nursing because of the satisfaction of helping others.

Q: How does it feel to be

named a top enrolled nurse?

EH: I am happy and appreciative of SGH, Dept of Nursing and Urology Centre bosses for nominating me for the award. R: I am very grateful to the organisation for the nomination - it is an honour. It motivates me to work even harder and do well in my work.

Q: What are some of the ‘high

points’ in your career?

EH: Being acknowledged and respected by patients, doctors, peers and internal customers. R: Receiving compliments from patients who have been discharged. And of course, this award!

Q: Can you tell us about

the most interesting patient you

have nursed?

EH: I had a patient who remained positive even though he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Despite his condition, he still helped support his two daughters in their studies. R: A patient had forgotten to inform us that she did not want fi sh and was upset when she was served fi sh. Fortunately, there was an extra dinner set with chicken so I gave it to her and she was delighted. She was also surprised that nurses would shampoo and wash patients’ hair if they were too weak to do these for themselves. These little things give me a sense of satisfaction.

Q: What advice would you give

to aspiring enrolled nurses?

EH: Always be positive and put your patient fi rst. Seek continuous improvement so that you can continue to deliver excellent nursing care to patients. R: A nurse is a healthcare professional who manages patients, their families and communities. Through a nursing care path, you can upgrade your skills to provide the best patient care.

Nursing Award

Hat-trick

PEN Ang Eng Hong (Left)SGH Urology, Top Winner

PEN Rokiah binte Sulaiman (Right)Ward 56, NHCS, Second Runner-Up

About the Awards

The Tan Chin Tuan Nursing Award recognises promising and talented enrolled nurses who are dedicated to advancing the nursing profession locally. Founded by the DS Lee Foundation, the award is open to enrolled nurses working in all public and private healthcare institutions in Singapore.

For the third time since its inception, SingHealth has brought home the challenge trophy for the Tan Chin Tuan Award for Enrolled Nurses. With two of the top three winners this year, it appears our enrolled nurses are nothing short of talented. We have fi ve questions for Principal Enrolled Nurses Ang Eng Hong of SGH and Rokiah binte Sulaiman of NHCS.

16

BY MONICA LIMat SingHealth

A Sprinkling of

Magic

“A very interesting and informative presentation! By knowing my patients’ needs and wants, I can serve them better.” - Senior Staff Nurse Cai Jiana, Coronary

Care Unit, NHCS

“Very useful! It brings the heart of each of our

role in relating to people as people.”

- Staff Nurse Rechelle Caluza, Major

Operating Theatre, CGH“I learnt how to recognise

the hidden meaning behind a patient’s question based

on their needs.” - Senior Staff Nurse Arumugam

Vasantha, Ward 64C, SGH

“I learned that being positive and delivering good service can really make a difference, and a

little can go a long way.” - Eva Loh, Principal Scientifi c

Offi cer, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, KKH

“A very interesting course. We now know for service

quality to happen, we need to look at people, system

and process.” - Mr Loh Yong Ho, COO, SGH

Disney magic was in the air! The entertainment giant shared with SingHealth its success in leadership and service. Through leadership workshops and Energiser sessions with the Disney Institute between 11-20 October, we had a glimpse of how Disney creates that sparkle in the eyes of every park visitor. More importantly, we learned how each SingHealth staff can impart that same “magic” in our role as healthcare professionals.

The sessions also raise awareness of the importance of developing systematic building blocks that promote internal service quality through Leadership Excellence and Cast Excellence. Moving forward, these strategies would be adapted and adopted by various SingHealth Institutions.

A three-day Operations Management workshop was conducted for middle-management staff

Our senior leaders are proud

graduates of the Disney

Institute

Almost 2,500 staff attended the Disney Institute's Energizer sessions in all 3 Campuses

17

Mr Peter Seah, Chairman of SingHealth Board, provided the spark to ignite the evolution of operations at the inaugural SingHealth Ops Excellence Forum, where the focus was Growth Through Operational Innovation & Integration.

“Trophies and medals are only good for the day you

receive them. True success is what you accomplish in your

daily journey. Excellence is not just a buzzword or a full-

day seminar, it’s an on-going mindset and philosophy that

we have to adopt,” said Mr Seah

In his opening address, he gave his vision of an eff ective cluster – one that has centralised operations and promotes change through quality control circles and sharing of best practices.

In the forum, Acting GCOO Mr Tan Jack Thian shared various group integration eff orts since clustering, including the Group Procurement Offi ce, facilities development & management, and call centres.

Institutions also shared their projects and best practices in operations excellence, such as battling wait times to appointment (SNEC), using LEAN techniques to determine space and design (SGH), and RFID for temperature monitoring of food (CGH).

To the 114 operations professionals attending the forum, it was recognition of the work done, and also a call for further improvement. With our pursuit of Academic Medicine, our eff orts will enable us to evolve from good to great.

And from the looks of these projects, we’re heading in the right direction.

Excellence —more than a buzzword

Institution Biosafety Committee

Standardisation and facilitation of consistent research lab safety management for all SingHealth institutions for a Total Risk Management Framework through:• Risk Management Policies• Sharing of Best Practices• Incidents Investigation & Follow-up• Workplace Safety Surveys• Risk Assessment of Research Projects, Lab Design, Operations & Commissioning

Phased Implementation

Oct 2010 onwardsResearch Labs under SingHealth Offi ce of Research &

SingHealth Experimental Medicine Centre

Jan 2011 onwardsResearch Labs under NCCS & NHCS

Apr 2011 onwardsOther Research Labs under SingHealth

Highlights of Operational Excellence

Nursing Integration and Achievements:

a. Standardised core job descriptions for nurses and APNsb. Standardised uniforms to refl ect institutions’ identitiesc. Training programmes for various grades of nursing and healthcare support staff d. Nurses’ Day Celebrations since 2003e. Publication of 8 Nursing handbooksf. Nursing Awards to recognise nurses cluster-wide

subsequent cross sharing

• Closed Loop Medication Mgmt Syst (CLMMS)• Inpatient Pharmacy Automated Syst (IPAS)

KKH CGH

• Computerised Physician's Order Entry (CPOE)

SGH

• Outpatient Pharmacy Automation Syst (OPAS)

Information Technology

An example of various cluster members piloting diff erent IT projects in phases

18

With beer mugs in hand, the Duke-NUS students gave a toast to the faculty members at Oktoberfest 2010 to thank them for their mentorship.

A special tradition for SingHealth and Duke-NUS, Oktoberfest is a night of celebration and mingling between staff , faculty and students from the two institutions. This year, the event took place on 29 October at the Duke-NUS courtyard.

The students did not hold back their sincerity and creativity in the faculty appreciation. Meaningful messages and humorous video clips featuring spoofs of their mentors contributed to an entertaining night.

Traditional Oktoberfest activities saw participants challenge one another in contests like beer chugging (all-time favourite), culinary and a watermelon hunt – the C. Kwa race, as named aft er Dr Kwa Chong Teck from NDC – around the SGH Campus. Approximately 120 litres (360 cups) of beer were consumed by more than 250 attendees at Oktoberfest 2010.

“Food, fun and games are the stuff for campus life – they forge camaraderie and esprit de corp that can profoundly aff ect lives and careers,” said Dr Mimi Yow, Chairperson of the SingHealth Epicurean Arts Team (E.A.T), who conceptualised the idea of an Oktoberfest back in 2008.

Sharing Fun Timesat Oktoberfest!SingHealth and Duke-NUS celebrate the school’s spirit of camaraderie and giving

CONTRIBUTED BY SINGHEALTH ACADEMY

Games Segment Winners

Prof Tan Ser Kiat’s

Beer Chugging Challenge

Team SNEC

SingHealth Perfect

Platter Challenge

Team NDC (comprising Dr Kwa Chong Teck and Ms Rozana Anuar)

C. Kwa Race

The Melon Lovers from NDC

Winning Chef Retires

Aft er winning the Perfect Platter Challenge three consecutive times, Dr Kwa has decided to take a break from competitive cooking. Check out his winning recipe on the SingHealth Academy Facebook Page, along with more event photos!

Cheering for the Beer Chugging

Challenge contestants

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GIVE HOPE TO HEAL

The SingHealth Foundation looks to seek funds to assist families needing fi nancial support for medical care for loved ones, aiming to fi ll the gaps in the continuum of patient care.

All proceeds from Save Money Save Lives will go towards helping the needy pay for their medical care at your SingHealth institutions. With just the purchase of a $5 booklet, you not only get fabulous discounts at participating merchants but also stand to win attractive prizes in the Scratch & Win and the grand lucky draw prize of a Subaru Impreza 1.5MT worth $60,000!

We need your support. Get your Save Money Save Lives booklets by calling 6377 7613.

Save Money Save Lives

Sep-Nov edition

contest answers:

1) b. 32 beds 2) a. May 2010

Winners: VIVIENNE LIANG, Research Associate, Experimental Medicine CentreJANE ANG, Staff Nurse, SGHJOEY CHANG, Medical Social Worker, NHCS

They will receive a $20 Borders voucher each. me+SH will contact the winners with prize collection details.

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