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A new category of community care facilities (CCF) that caters to Covid-19 patients who are generally well will be set up, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (Sep. 19).
These new facilities are for Covid-19 patients who are stable, exhibit only mild symptoms or are "generally clinically-well", but who have underlying conditions that require close monitoring, said MOH.
'Stepped-up' CCFs to augment hospital capacity
These "stepped-up" CCFs are aimed at augmenting Singapore's hospital capacity.
This ensures that only those who require close and specialised medical attention, such as oxygen supplementation and intensive care, will receive treatment in hospitals.
The new facilities will be able to provide more comprehensive medical coverage and will be able to manage elderly patients who are stable but have underlying conditions such as cardiac diseases that make them more prone to further illness.
The facilities will also "be adequately resourced with more medical and nursing manpower, as well as medical monitoring devices to ensure the optimal level of care for these patients", said MOH.
MOH said that although this group of elderly patients are not at a high risk of deterioration to the extent of requiring oxygen supplementation or care in the intensive care unit (ICU), they will require close monitoring to detect any early signs of clinical deterioration.
Patients who do see a deterioration will "immediately be sent back to our hospitals for further management", said MOH.
First facility will be operational on Sep. 23, 2021
The first "stepped-up" CCF will be set up by repurposing the NTUC Health Nursing Home at Tampines.
The facility will have 250 beds and will be operational on Sep. 23, 2021.
Existing nursing home residents at the Tampines nursing home will be transferred to other NTUC Health Nursing Home branches.
Alternative care arrangements has also been secured for those awaiting admission to this nursing home.
MOH said: "We thank the families and next-of-kin of the nursing home residents and NTUC Health for their understanding and cooperation in facilitating this shift to meet a national need".
Suitable Covid-19 patients from nursing homes will also be prioritised for admission into the new facilities.
This is to mitigate potential further spread within residential long-term care facilities should cases be detected among their residents, according to MOH.
Some CCFs will also have part of their capacity converted to stepped-up CCFs.
This will include the CCF at Connect@Changi, which will provide 50 stepped-up beds when fully operational on Sep. 24, 2021.
Avoid visiting A&E if you have mild symptoms: MOH
Given the increasing number of Covid-19 patients requiring conveyance to CCFs, MOH has started to admit patients to CCFs around-the-clock.
"We request for the understanding and cooperation of Covid-19 patients to adhere to their allocated conveyancing timing even if these are later in the night, to ensure their speedy conveyance to the CCFs", said MOH.
MOH also urged those with mild symptoms not to visit hospitals' Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments, adding that it is continuously monitoring hospital capacity.
Instead, it urged individuals to consult a general practitioner at a Swab and Send Home (SASH) clinic.
Those who test positive for Covid-19 but are asymptomatic should also continue to stay home and seek telemedicine consultation first if they start to feel unwell, said MOH.
They should only visit the hospital if the telemedicine doctor advises them to, or if they experience severe symptoms (such as chest pain or shortness of breath).
"This is to prevent fruitless trips to the A&E departments which may inadvertently increase the risk of them transmitting Covid-19 to the others in the community," said MOH.
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Top image via NTUC Health (Tampines) - Nursing Home/Google Maps