WHO endorses S'pore as leader in linking patients to community resources

SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH), which in 2019 started connecting discharged patients with social and fitness activities in the community to support their health, has been appointed as a World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Social Prescribing – the first centre of its kind in the world.

- Joyce Teo

This was announced at the inaugural Asia Pacific Population Health Conference and second Asia Pacific Social Prescribing Conference on Nov 28.

The two-day joint conference, held at the Academia at the Singapore General Hospital Campus, was organised by the SingHealth Regional Health System and SCH.

Social prescribing is a care model where patients are connected with suitable resources in the community with the aim of addressing their social needs, such as those related to mental health.

SCH's appointment is a recognition of its substantial work in this field, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said at the event.

Over the past two years, Singapore has seen major changes in healthcare policies, centring on population health and social prescribing, and its social prescribing efforts are cascading to individual institutions, including SingHealth, he said.

To support wider adoption of social prescribing nationwide, the SCH Office of Learning has worked with partners to roll out training programmes on social prescribing that cater to a wide range of professionals, including general practitioners, community care providers, social workers and volunteers, Mr Ong added.