Department of Family Medicine

The Department of Family Medicine at Sengkang General Hospital comprises of a group of dedicated, well-trained Family Physicians who practice in the broad disciplines of medicine. The team of physicians look at patients holistically - considering their physical, mental, emotional and social aspects and provide comprehensive and continued care to maximise their well-being.

The dedicated, multidisciplinary team has been actively developing its holistic care capabilities to provide the highest quality of personalised care in assisting patients to enjoy years of healthy life. The department is committed to delivering optimal patient care and outcomes by providing early detection of lifestyle-related diseases, health education and intervention programmes to help manage chronic conditions better. Each patient gets a personalised and efficient care plan that ensures that their care is well coordinated, continuing and comprehensive.

The department aims to provide a seamless and safe transition for patients from the General hospital to the Community hospital setting for early rehabilitation so that they will benefit from a quicker recovery and a faster return to their home and community.

Our Clinical Specialties & Services

Services to the community include:

Hospital-To-Home Programme (H2H Programme)

The Hospital-To-Home Programme (H2H Programme) is a post-discharge transitional care service that aims to integrate and provide continuing care by managing patients during the sub-acute phase of their illness at their own home.

It is a service run by a multidisciplinary team comprising of doctors, nurses, social workers and therapists who will review the patient's healthcare needs and work closely with them to develop a care plan that can help optimise their health and well-being. The H2H Programme will also help caregivers to ease the patient's transition from hospital back home and manage the patient's care at their own home.

A Patient Navigator (PN) will be assigned to care for the patient for about three months. The PN will conduct regular telephone calls and/or home visits according to an appointment schedule. When required, the Family Medicine physician will visit the patient at home to stabilise their medical condition and reduce complications. A therapist may also visit the patient at home to assess their home environment and share rehabilitation advice with the patient and/or their caregiver if they have problems with mobility, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), speech and/or swallowing.

Through the H2H Programme, the department hopes that the continuing management of patients by a multi-disciplinary team offering a structured care plan in the setting of the patient's own home post-hospitalisation would reduce the need for unnecessary returns for hospital visits and hospitalisation. Patients will be able to continue their rehabilitation recovery in the comfort of their own homes.

Collaboration with the Institute of Mental Health (IMH)

The Department of Family Medicine also collaborates with the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), to provide preventive care, chronic disease management & general medical care for patients with mental illness. Through this collaboration, it aims to improve care for patients and help them achieve greater emotional and mental well-being and reduce preventable admissions.