Singapore, 14 June 2024 – SingHealth officially launched the Family Nexus@Our Tampines Hub (FamNex@OTH), one of four pilot Family Nexus sites across Singapore, today. The event was graced by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health, at the Festive Plaza located at OTH. FamNex@OTH is the first Family Nexus to be sited within the community in Singapore and will complement the other three Family Nexus pilot sites which are currently situated within polyclinics. SingHealth’s other site, FamNex@Punggol, was launched earlier in January this year and is sited within Punggol Polyclinic. Please see Annex A for background on the Family Nexus pilot and details on FamNex@OTH.
Programmes and Services for Families Under One Roof
Families can now look forward to a comprehensive suite of programmes and services at the one-stop wellness hub. These programmes and services have been specially and holistically curated by SingHealth in close collaboration with other healthcare institutions, government agencies and regional community partners. Among programmes and services offered by FamNex@OTH are the:
(i) Expanded Community Nursing Service, which previously focused on supporting seniors, but will now support mothers and children from birth up to six years old. Residents can walk into FamNex@OTH to request for an appointment with a Community Nurse on a range of women’s1 and children’s2 health issues. The service, which is provided by Changi General Hospital (CGH), was jointly developed in collaboration with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and SingHealth Polyclinics. SingHealth has been offering some of these services based on referrals from partners since November 2022. To date, SingHealth has supported more than 300 referrals. Please see Annex B for more information on a resident who has benefitted from the expanded Community Nursing Service at FamNex@OTH.
“Parents often worry about their child’s development, and whether they are adequately managing their child’s health. As a Community Nurse, I address parents’ queries and concerns, and empower families to take charge of their health,” said Ms Chau Man Kam, a Senior Staff Nurse who provides the Community Nursing Service at FamNex@OTH.
“Nurse Chau has equipped my wife and me with practical knowledge and strategies to make healthy lifestyle changes to my family,” commented Mr Muhammad Yunus, 39 years old, a father of two children aged one and six.
(ii) Care Corner Singapore, the anchor social service partner for this Family Nexus, will be offering a suite of Families for Life evidence-informed marriage and parenting programmes, such as the Prepare/Enrich Marriage Enrichment Programme for married couples, Online Signposts (e-Learning programme) and Purposeful Play workshops for parents with young children, and the Positive Parenting Programme (Triple P) for parents and grandparents.
“Families for Life is happy to partner with SingHealth to offer our marriage and parenting programmes through FamNex@OTH, which are designed to strengthen family bonds and foster resilient families. Through Family Nexus, we hope to raise awareness of programmes and resources available for families in the community to help them in their marriage and parenting journey,” said Dr Elly Sabrina Binte Ismail, Families for Life Council Member.
(iii) Family Nexus Coordinators stationed at the concierge area adopt a person-centric approach in recommending relevant programmes and services offered within the Family Nexus or its partners, to parents based on their needs and interests. Parents can also browse or bring home self-help resources related to health, marriage and parenting here.
“During our conversations with families, we try to understand their needs and interests. From there, we recommend appropriate programmes and services and help them to make informed decisions on the health and social support that are available,” said Mr Rosli Bin Ahmad, a Family Nexus Coordinator at FamNex@OTH.
(iv) Lastly, FamNex@OTH, together with FamNex@Punggol, also organise
regular online and in-person activities, such as webinars and on-site workshops, covering useful topics to support families in their marriage and parenting journey. Some examples of these activities include interactive parent-child bonding activities, talks on childhood oral health, breastfeeding tips and stress management for parents, as well as a workshop for parents to understand the love language of their children.
“The FamNex@OTH pilot reinforces SingHealth’s efforts in supporting women’s and children’s health as well as family wellbeing in the community. We look forward to close collaborations among our SingHealth institutions and community partners to curate programmes and services that are relevant in meeting the varied needs of families in the community,” said Professor Lee Chien Earn, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer, Regional Health System, SingHealth.
1Women’s health issues include family planning and preconception health counselling, support for managing common health conditions and chronic diseases during pregnancy, postnatal physical recovery support and mental wellness screening, breastfeeding and lactation support, as well as health coaching and lifestyle counselling.
2Children’s health issues include growth, development and nutrition support, oral health screening and education, nurse counselling on common childhood illnesses, allergies and child safety, as well as family-based health coaching and lifestyle counselling.
