Faster doc referrals for home hospice care with new portal

No need for doctors to check with various providers on vacancies, with real-time info on capacity

- Joyce Teo

A new portal that helps doctors expedite hospice care referrals could help to make palliative care more accessible to the community.

Developed by the Singapore Hospice Council (SHC), the SHC Home Hospice Capacity Dashboard hosted on its website provides real-time information on the home hospices' capacity in the country, saving doctors time as they will not have to call the various providers to check on vacancies.

Patients will be more quickly assured of their end-of-life care.

"The process is smoother and when time is of the essence, a targeted accurate referral becomes important.

"The prognosis for palliative care is one year but some patients are on compassionate discharge and may have just hours or days to live," said Ms Sim Bee Hia, SHC's executive director.

The portal is part of SHC's efforts to facilitate easier access to palliative care for the community in a rapidly ageing Singapore. It was launched in December 2023 and now has about 400 users.

The portal is not just for palliative care specialists but open to all doctors, including polyclinic doctors and private sector doctors like general practitioners (GPs) and specialists, said Ms Sim.

"One of the current challenges is lack of awareness. Many seniors who are frail are staying in the community. They see GPs and polyclinic doctors. Hence, there is a necessity to make the referral process as easy as possible.