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Overcrowding at TTSH: Answer lies in quality, not quantity
By Zul Othman,
TODAY
| Posted: 27 January 2010 0639 hrs
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File picture of Tan Tock Seng Hospital
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SINGAPORE - Occupany in public hospitals may be on the rise, but Tan Tock Seng Hospital's (TTSH) chief operating officer, Dr Eugene Fedelis Soh, said that in order to serve its patients, "having more room for beds is not the solution".
What needs to be done, he said, is for the hospital to re-look its quality framework. On top of this, staff must realise that the needs of the patients come first and foremost.
"I think for the longest time we have not looked at quality in isolation," Dr Soh told MediaCorp. "We have been making changes, telling our staff they are to look at the value they bring to our patients," he added.
Nonetheless, the 165-year-old hospital recently came under fire from some patients for the lack of beds. Dr Soh said the hospital is learning from its mistakes and doing its best "to make sure that patients' experiences are part of the healing process".
Over the last three years, TTSH said it had added 145 beds. It also operates 80 beds in collaboration with RenCi Hospital, he added.
Last month, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan apologised for the overcrowding situation in his blog. Several times a week, TTSH has had to divert civil defence ambulances to other hospitals.
"It is no fun waiting for a bed, in a crowded room or in a corridor; I am truly sorry," wrote the minister.
Despite this, some patients seemed pleased with the work put in by TTSH. The hospital pulled up last year's score to 67.2 out of a 100 - up 0.21 point from 2008 in the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore.
The findings, released on Monday by the Institute of Service Excellence at the Singapore Management University, ranks sectors based on customer expectations, perceived overall quality and perceived value.
Said Dr Soh: "We are happy that improvements have been made despite the challenges in the last year, especially during the H1N1 period... credit for this must go to our staff as well."
Improving patient experience in the last year was an uphill challenge, said Dr Soh, especially when TTSH is one of the busiest restructured hospitals in Singapore.
This situation has been made even more complicated by the manpower crunch faced by the healthcare industry. The Ministry of Health has taken steps to beef up manpower, with more than 1,200 people enrolled in nursing courses at the polytechnics.
Dr Soh said the challenge for TTSH was to ensure that its nursing recruits from China and the Philippines were made aware that they should be adding value and care for the patients.
What is heartening is that TTSH caregivers have been going the extra mile, he added. For example, nurses at the hospital have been following up on recently discharged patients.
Furthermore, caregivers have also been working with the Home Nursing Foundation (HNF) to ensure that patients' needs are met even if they choose to recuperate at home.
These steps have impressed Mrs Chan Foong Chueen, 49. She said: "My mother has been hospitalized here for the sixth time since 2008... Even though she was warded at different wards each time, the care she received was always of a consistently high standard."
"The nurses went beyond being healthcare professionals who provided medical care for my mother, as they were good listeners who gave me good advice when I encountered difficulties in communicating with the maid my siblings hired to look after my mother". - TODAY
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