Upskilling in generalist palliative care nursing exceeds expectations: Ong Ye Kung

SINGAPORE – An entire healthcare ecosystem is springing into action to equip nurses with new skills and prepare them for future roles as patients grow older and more receive long-term and palliative care in hospices, nursing homes, hospitals and at home.

One initiative, established in January, is the Nursing Home-Nursing Professional Development Workgroup. It brings together nurse leaders from nursing homes and community and acute care hospitals to drive skills development in the long-term care sector.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced the initiative at the Nurses’ Merit Award ceremony held at Shangri-La Singapore on July 6.

Ong, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, said that while his ministry has set a target of training 10,000 nurses and healthcare workers in generalist palliative care by 2030, the “upskilling movement is far larger than I envisaged”.

“During my recent visit to the National University Hospital, I found out that the hospital alone is targeting to train 3,100 nurses in generalist palliative care, and some institutions have set up in-house training programmes to equip their nurses with generalist skills,” he said.

He added that several public healthcare institutions are helping to train nurses in nursing homes in end-of-life care, advance care planning and preferred plan of care.

“The success of this transformation journey will ultimately rest not just on policies or programmes, but more so on people – on nurses who are prepared to take on new roles, build new capabilities and lead change on the ground.”

Citing the example of a healthcare team that fulfilled a dying elderly man’s wish to spend his final moments at home in Ong’s constituency – he is anchor minister for Sembawang GRC – despite the logistical challenges of the transfer, the minister said this is just one instance of the evolving roles of healthcare and nursing as Singapore ages.

“Nurses are at the centre of this change, helping shape what the system becomes. Increasingly, nurses will need to act earlier, closer to home, with greater confidence and autonomy, and most importantly, with kindness and empathy,” he said.

More than 150 nurses from public healthcare institutions, the community care sector and private hospitals received the Nurses’ Merit Awards from the minister.

Vinod Rajandran Muthu, 32, a nurse manager with the National Kidney Foundation, had initially wanted to use nursing as a stepping stone to a career with the Singapore Armed Forces.

“That changed during one of my clinical attachments when I had daily interaction with a patient I was caring for. I realised that nursing is far more than treating illness or performing clinical procedures,” he told The Straits Times.

“It is about being present for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives and making a meaningful difference through compassion, empathy and human connection.”

Vinod has encountered patients feeling frightened, in denial or overwhelmed by the realities of kidney disease.

“Watching them gradually regain confidence, adapt to life with dialysis and continue pursuing what matters most to them is incredibly rewarding... This is why caring for dialysis patients is not just my profession – it is a privilege and a responsibility that I carry with great pride,” he said.

Another award recipient, Saqila Ismail, 41, is a nurse manager from the National University Polyclinics. When Bukit Panjang Polyclinic opened in 2021, she noticed that new mothers faced the overwhelming challenge of breastfeeding without immediate, accessible support.

“Some issues could be resolved with early intervention, yet mothers frequently had to travel to hospitals or wait for specialist appointments. As a nurse, I felt we could do more to support them closer to home,” she said.

Saqila spearheaded a pilot lactation support service at the polyclinic to deliver timely, upstream intervention for common breastfeeding concerns such as low milk supply, breast engorgement and babies having difficulty latching.

As the need for such services became clearer, she built a structured programme to train and develop nurses as international board-certified lactation consultants.

“Our goal was to make specialised breastfeeding support more accessible within primary care so mothers can receive help early, continue breastfeeding with confidence and enjoy a more positive post-natal experience,” she said.

Jennifer Ting, 38, a nurse clinician in emergency medicine at Singapore General Hospital, wanted to provide reassurance, encouragement and support to those heading to the emergency department after a traumatic experience.

“In emergency medicine, seconds matter – so does that first moment of human contact. As one of the first faces a trauma patient sees, I want them to feel that amid all the chaos, there is someone who sees them, not just their injuries,” she said.