Several Community Nurse Posts (CNPs), which make it easier for senior residents in the heartland to access healthcare services, have been seeing more residents since they started opening more often in the light of the coronavirus outbreak.
The 14 CNPs under Yishun Health's Population Health and Community Transformation department now have 37 sessions a week, up from 19 previously, to minimise prolonged waiting or crowding.
The posts - located in places such as senior activity centres and community centres - are in Yishun, Marsiling, Woodlands and Sembawang.
They usually open once or twice a week but, since Feb 17, some CNPs, such as the one at Block 115 Yishun Ring Road, have been open every weekday.
The CNPs across the 14 sites saw 287 residents from Feb 17 to Feb 21, a 10 per cent increase compared with before.
More than 90 per cent of the residents seen at CNPs are aged 65 and above.
The services of community nurses at the CNP include basic nursing aid, chronic disease monitoring, personalised health and lifestyle advice and early detection of functional limitations through geriatric and functional assessments.
Madam Lisa Ng, 67, has been visiting the CNP at Block 115 Yishun Ring Road since 2018 to manage her high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar.
Since it started opening every weekday, she has been visiting it three times a week.
"I find it very convenient to speak to a nurse who is in my neighbourhood. She advises me on my diet and lifestyle, and has taught me how to measure my blood pressure at home with a blood pressure monitor," said Madam Ng, who lives in Yishun.
A trained administrative staff member from Yishun Health's Population Health and Community Transformation department is paired with the community nurse to screen, triage and manage the queue at the CNP.
Residents are referred to the nearest Public Health Preparedness Clinic or hospital if they are found to have symptoms of the coronavirus through screening questions and temperature checks.
During the consultation, nurses also take the opportunity to educate residents on taking precautionary measures, such as washing their hands more frequently and wearing a mask if they feel unwell.
The National University Health System (NUHS) community care team also continues to support and manage residents though mobile Community Health Posts (CHPs) and the hospital-to-home programme to ensure that their needs do not fall through the cracks during the coronavirus outbreak.
The NUHS CHPs serve residents from the western population in Singapore as well as discharged patients from National University Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Alexandra Hospital.
Residents with poorly managed chronic conditions who were previously monitored at CHPs continue to receive services, such as medication packing, blood pressure and glucose monitoring, now through home visits instead.
The community care team also follows up with residents via phone calls.
Discharged patients from hospitals under the NUHS cluster will also receive follow-up phone calls and home visits to assess the home environment where necessary.
