Nursing home staff to be trained in end-of-life care under Dover Park Hospice, NTUC Health tie-up

The two-year tie-up between Dover Park Hospice and NTUC Health is part of efforts to address a critical need in Singapore’s fast-ageing society.

Published Oct 25, 2026, 08:00 PM

Updated Oct 25, 2026, 08:00 PM

SINGAPORE – Nursing home staff will get training in palliative and end-of-life care for elderly residents under a new tie-up between Dover Park Hospice and NTUC Health that aims to benefit more than 1,600 residents.

The two-year initiative is part of efforts to address a critical need in Singapore’s fast-ageing society, the two organisations said in a joint statement on Oct 25.

The pilot programme – involving about 60 nursing and care staff – is expected to start early next year at the NTUC Health Nursing Home in Geylang East, with the likelihood of expanding to the five other nursing homes the co-operative operates.

Training will focus on equipping frontline healthcare workers with skills to provide palliative care in the nursing homes, aimed at helping residents receive end-of-life care in a more familiar setting.

Singapore is grappling with the challenges of an ageing society in which more than one in five citizens is 65 or older.

Speaking at a Dover Park Hospice fundraising gala in Shangri-La Singapore hotel on Oct 25, Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Minister Tan See Leng said while two-thirds of Singaporeans would prefer to die at home, nearly two-thirds of Singapore residents died in hospitals in 2023.

“There is more we can do to better support the end-of-life wishes and care preferences of our patients,” he added.

Tan said demand for palliative care would continue to grow as more Singaporeans live longer, often with serious illnesses and increasingly complex care needs.

Dover Park Hospice chairman Ong Hung Guan in his address said longer lifespans have brought growing pressures on healthcare resources and families, particularly caregivers who juggle work, raising children and looking after ageing parents.

Caregivers also face burnout, financial strain and emotional exhaustion, he added.

Ong said Dover Park Hospice must look beyond delivering care within its own facilities and patients’ homes.

“If we focus solely within our own walls, we will only ever be a shelter from the storm. We need to move from being a shelter in the storm to truly changing the climate,” he added.

Dover Park Hospice and NTUC Health, under the pact inked at the charity gala, will focus on taking stock of their existing palliative care capabilities, and develop training and mentorship programmes for community care staff.

Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Minister Tan See Leng said while two-thirds of Singaporeans would prefer to die at home, nearly two-thirds of Singapore residents died in hospitals in 2023. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Minister Tan See Leng said while two-thirds of Singaporeans would prefer to die at home, nearly two-thirds of Singapore residents died in hospitals in 2023.

Sharing best practices and research into end-of-life care will also form part of the initiative.

At the pilot stage, there will be an evaluation of care outcomes and areas like staff competency, symptom management, avoidable hospital transfers and the ability to support residents in receiving appropriate end-of-life care within the nursing home in line with their wishes.

The tie-up will bring together Dover Park Hospice’s specialist clinical expertise with NTUC Health’s network of nursing homes, the organisations said.

NTUC Health chief executive Choo Kin Poo said equipping staff with palliative care capabilities can help them continue caring for residents they know well.

It will also help staff provide residents with compassionate and comprehensive care that respects their comfort and wishes, and reassurance and personalised support towards the end of their lives, he added.

Dover Park Hospice chief executive Liew Li Lian said the tie-up can help make quality end-of-life support accessible to more seniors within their communities.

The two organisations , in response to queries, said the initiative is not designed to incur extra costs to residents and their families. Instead the focus will be on staff training and capability-building activities.

Care-related fees and subsidies will continue to be governed by existing nursing-home funding and subsidy frameworks.

Any changes to care arrangements that will affect fees will be made known to residents and their families, they added.

The fundraising gala raised more than $850,000 to support subsidised patients receiving inpatient, home and day care services from Dover Park Hospice.

多佛公园临终关怀中心与职总保健集团达成的为期两年的合作协议，旨在解决新加坡快速老龄化社会面临的一项关键需求。

发布于2026年10月25日晚上8点

更新于2026年10月25日晚上8点

新加坡——多佛公园临终关怀中心与职总保健集团达成一项新的合作协议，旨在为超过 1600 名居民提供临终关怀和安宁疗护方面的培训，使养老院工作人员受益。

这两个组织在 10 月 25 日的一份联合声明中表示，这项为期两年的计划是为了解决新加坡快速老龄化社会的一个关键需求而做出的努力的一部分。

该试点计划——涉及约 60 名护理人员——预计将于明年初在芽笼东的 NTUC Health 护理院启动，并有可能扩展到该合作社运营的其他五家护理院。

培训将重点在于使一线医护人员具备在养老院提供姑息治疗的技能，旨在帮助居民在更熟悉的环境中接受临终关怀。

新加坡正努力应对老龄化社会带来的挑战，该国超过五分之一的公民年龄在 65 岁或以上。

10月25日，能源、贸易和工业部长（能源和工业）陈思龙在新加坡香格里拉大酒店举行的多佛公园临终关怀医院筹款晚会上发表讲话时表示，虽然三分之二的新加坡人更愿意在家中去世，但到2023年，近三分之二的新加坡居民却在医院去世。

“我们还可以做更多的事情来更好地支持患者临终时的意愿和护理偏好，”他补充道。

陈先生表示，随着越来越多的新加坡人寿命延长，他们往往身患重病，护理需求也日益复杂，因此对临终关怀的需求将持续增长。

多佛公园安宁疗护院主席王鸿源在致辞中表示，寿命延长给医疗资源和家庭带来了越来越大的压力，尤其是那些既要工作又要抚养孩子还要照顾年迈父母的照护者。

他还补充说，照顾者还会面临职业倦怠、经济压力和情绪疲惫。

Ong表示，多佛公园临终关怀中心必须跳出自身设施和患者家中提供护理的局限。

“如果我们只关注自身内部，我们永远只能是风暴中的避难所。我们需要从风暴中的避难所转变为真正改变气候，”他补充道。

根据在慈善晚会上签署的协议，多佛公园临终关怀中心和职总保健集团将重点评估其现有的临终关怀能力，并为社区护理人员制定培训和指导计划。

能源、贸易及工业部长陈诗龙表示，虽然三分之二的新加坡人希望在家中去世，但2023年仍有近三分之二的新加坡居民在医院去世。（海峡时报图片：金泰）

能源、贸易及工业部（能源及工业部）部长陈思龙表示，虽然三分之二的新加坡人更愿意在家中去世，但到 2023 年，近三分之二的新加坡居民却在医院去世。

分享临终关怀方面的最佳实践和研究成果也将是该倡议的一部分。

在试点阶段，将对护理结果和员工能力、症状管理、可避免的医院转院以及支持居民在养老院内按照他们的意愿获得适当的临终关怀等方面进行评估。

双方表示，此次合作将把多佛公园临终关怀医院的专业临床技术与职总保健集团的养老院网络结合起来。

职总保健首席执行官朱建普表示，为员工配备临终关怀能力可以帮助他们继续照顾他们熟悉的居民。

他还补充说，这也有助于工作人员为居民提供富有同情心和全面的护理，尊重他们的舒适和意愿，并在他们生命的最后阶段提供安慰和个性化的支持。

多佛公园临终关怀中心首席执行官刘丽莲表示，此次合作可以帮助更多社区老年人获得高质量的临终关怀服务。

针对相关询问，这两个机构表示，该计划并非旨在给居民及其家庭增加额外负担，而是侧重于员工培训和能力建设活动。

与护理相关的费用和补贴将继续按照现有的养老院资金和补贴框架执行。

他们补充说，任何可能影响费用的护理安排变更都会告知居民及其家属。

此次筹款晚会筹集了超过 85 万美元，用于支持多佛公园临终关怀医院为接受住院、家庭和日间护理服务的受补贴患者。