Parliament: Higher salaries, more incentives for community nurses to address labour crunch

SINGAPORE - Community nurses are in demand and can expect to get higher salaries going forward, as the Government sets aside $150 million over the next three years to make this happen.

As Singapore moves healthcare beyond hospitals to the community to meet the needs of an ageing population, the Government is also doing more to make the sector more attractive for such professionals, who take care of patients outside the hospital setting.

Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor said in Parliament on Thursday (May 5) that the sum of $150 million will help these institutions to improve the competitiveness of salaries.

"We project that it will benefit up to 4,000 local nurses and support care staff, if it is fully taken up," she said, during the debate of her ministry's budget.

"After these three years, MOH will factor in the higher salary levels in our funding to community care providers."

Support staff in these institutions include therapy assistants, nurse aides and home personal care staff, who may help with duties such as feeding, toileting, grooming, diaper changes and so on.

This new injection of funds is in addition to the $350 million that the Ministry of Health had given between 2012 and 2017 to most community care providers to support increases in their staff salaries.

Dr Khor also said that the authorities are eager for non-practising nurses to come back to work, and noted about 500 local nurses have returned to practice annually over the last four years.

Returning nurses may undergo a refresher course under the Return to Nursing scheme, and those who return to the community care sector are eligible for a retention bonus of up to $5,000.

With nurses playing a leading role in delivering care in the community, a community care nursing leadership programme has also been put in place to groom the next generation of nursing leaders, she said.

In addition, the Government is launching a community care scholarship to encourage young people to opt for relevant community care programmes such as occupational therapy and social work, said Dr Khor.

The funds will address the current local healthcare manpower crunch in community care institutions, said Mr Tim Oei, the chairman of the Community Care Manpower Committee under the Agency for Integrated Care.

"For nurses, the community care sector work is not as glamorous as the work in restructured hospitals," he said.

The former also pays less.

The funds will thus help institutions adjust up the pay of community nurses and support staff to make it more on par with the pay of acute care nurses in restructured hospitals.

Right now, community care nurses can earn about 10 to 25 per cent less than nurses in restructured hospitals, he pointed out.

Furthermore, Mr Oei said the move represents recognition of the vital work of healthcare staff in the community care sector, he said.

"A lot of the health issues faced are chronic, and these nurses and support staff have been supporting patients in the community," he said.

They come to this sector because they value the relationship built up between them and the patient and their family, he said.

"It's about: 'I rehabilitate you, I support you and I walk with you in your recovery.' It's not sexy, but they are offering very important long-term care," he said.

Mr Oei, who is also the chief executive of the National Kidney Foundation, said that the additional funds will help him to pay fair wages to his local and foreign nurses and support staff.

Home Nursing Foundation chief executive, Dr Christina Tiong, pointed out that nurses have many options, and that it is a constant challenge attracting good staff.

"Some local nurses prefer to work in public hospitals due to better career development opportunities," she said.

With the funds, she can be better able to attract experienced local staff to meet demand, particularly given the tightening in foreign manpower.

"The funding will help community care providers to raise the starting salaries and adjust the existing salaries nearer to the pay range of public acute sector."