SingHealth Polyclinics – Bedok reopens at a brand new integrated complex, with two new diabetes care programmes, a self-collect medication locker with a cooling system, and other new services to help patients at every step of their care.

Four hundred thousand Singaporeans are living with diabetes. At SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP) alone, there are currently more than 77,000 patients with diabetes.

To help patients who are newly diagnosed with diabetes and pre-diabetes manage their condition and stick to recommended lifestyle changes, SHP launched two diabetes care management programmes in October 2017.

In the Diabetes Management Programme (DMP), patients who are newly diagnosed with diabetes are referred to a care manager on the same day to receive health counselling and get more information about their condition and its treatment.   A follow-up visit to the care manager will be arranged eight weeks after the first session.

For those whose blood sugar level is at a borderline level, the Pre-diabetes Management Programme (PDMP) can help prevent them from developing full-blown diabetes by giving patients health counselling and an action plan which may include a weight loss target, an exer cise plan and tips to stop smoking.   The patients are reviewed six months after the first session, with follow-ups every year.

In both programmes, the role of care managers is essential. Beyond providing medical information, care managers review their patients' progress, ensure they adhere to check-ups such as eye and foot screening, help patients make sustainable lifestyle changes and motivate them to achieve health targets. 

The services are available at all SingHealth Polyclinics, including SHP-Bedok, which has recently reopened at Heartbeat@Bedok, a new integrated complex that also houses a community club, port centre, public library and senior care centre among others.

Along with the diabetes management programmes, SHP-Bedok has also incorporated new technologies and integrated care services at their new premises:

First self-cooling medication collection locker 

First launched in 2016, the Prescription in a Locker Box (PILBOX) now comes with a new feature: adjustable locker temperature.   This is the first time that such a feature is available in Singapore, allowing patients or their caregivers to self-collect prescription medication which requires refrigeration such as insulin or certain types of eye drops at any time of day.

Enhanced automated health kiosk The SEEK MyHealth Kiosks were recently enhanced and officially launched at SHP-Bedok. The kiosks enable patients with chronic conditions to take their own measurements (height, weight and blood pressure), which are made available to the doctor during consultation. They also include additional screening questionnaires on family medical history and asthma care to support doctor consultations, the first of its kind in Singapore. Patient ambassador volunteer programme First piloted at SHP-Marine Parade, SHP Helping Hands recruits volunteers who will guide and assist elderly patients in the polyclinic.   The programme has now been rolled out in SHP-Bedok. The volunteers mainly assist patients to find their way around the facilities and use self-service kiosks. There are 22 volunteers at SHP-Bedok, most of them seniors above 50 years old.

New allied health services Physiotherapy and podiatry services are now available at SHP-Bedok. Previously, patients were referred to Tampines or Geylang polyclinic.