Guidelines for home care providers by year end

Guidelines for home care providers by year end
Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Amy Khor
PHOTO: Guidelines for home care providers by year end

SINGAPORE - New guidelines for home care providers are being drawn up to set standards across the industry and will be finalised by the year end, said Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor yesterday.

These developmental guidelines will help "enhance and align the quality of services, and articulate the level of care expected", she added.

She was responding to a question in Parliament from Mr David Ong (Jurong GRC) on whether the Health Ministry (MOH) had plans to standardise quality and prices in the home care sector.

People who need home care are typically too frail to leave their homes for medical treatment, and need help with daily activities like eating or bathing.

In March, MOH announced that it plans to have 10,000 home medical and nursing care spaces by 2020, and 7,500 for home personal care.

There are now 13 voluntary welfare organisations and four private home care providers receiving ministry funding to provide subsidised home care services.

These supported about 5,000 people last year.

However, there are as yet no specific guidelines dealing with home care.

MOH will start a quality improvement programme next year to help home care providers adopt the new guidelines, Dr Khor said.


This article was first published on Aug 6, 2014.
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