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The Labour Movement’s Healthcare Academy signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) aimed to help 15,000 workers upskill, secure better work prospects and be mentally resilient to handle the rigours of a transformed healthcare environment. The MOUs were witnessed by NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng at National University Health System’s (NUHS) National Day Observance Ceremony today, co-organised by the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU).
Through the formation of two Company Training Committees (CTCs), the Healthcare Academy together with the management of NUHS and NTUC Health respectively will identify critical next steps in the push to upskill employees and equip them as Healthcare Worker 4.0 to better support industry transformation efforts. These include addressing skills gaps and training needs; developing mechanisms to help existing and new workers adopt, adapt and embrace change through appropriate intervention programmes, implementing and periodically reviewing the efficacy of training programmes as well as leveraging new adult learning concepts such as micro-learning platforms like U Leap (Learning Enabled through Active Participation) by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).
NUHS is the first public healthcare cluster to form a CTC with the Labour Movement, while NTUC Health is the first major player in the intermediate long term care sector to do so. The CTCs serve to scale up existing efforts by the Healthcare Academy, which was launched in August 2018 by HSEU, e2i and NTUC LearningHub to support the training and continuing education of healthcare workers especially those affected by industry change.
First CTC with public healthcare cluster
Representatives from HSEU together with the Ministry of Health, management representatives and government agencies have formed a Jobs, Skills and Training Advisory Panel in April this year to drive workplace transformation from a strategic level. The CTC formed today between Healthcare Academy and NUHS aims to cascade such strategic plans to the workplace, benefitting up to 14,000 workers in NUHS. To do this, a cluster-level workgroup will be formed to align and synergise transformation efforts across and within the various institutions under NUHS. For a start, the workgroup will pool efforts to identify current and future manpower challenges in the healthcare industry; and more importantly, map out the requirements needed to help healthcare workers remain agile and adaptable to career progression, job switches and role enhancements. The workgroup will meet at least once every quarter.
Professor John Eu-Li Wong, Chief Executive of NUHS, said, “Today’s MoUs are very important to us as they are issues close to our heart. The first is part of our efforts to enable our staff to work well into their 70s if they choose to do so, equipping them with the skills needed in a digital technological world. The second is part of our efforts at total work place safety and health. The physical and mental health of our staff are critical if they are to care for our patients, support their care givers, educate our students, and develop solutions to the challenges we face. Investing in our staff is one of our highest priorities.”
First CTC in intermediate long term care sector
Similarly, the Healthcare Academy will partner NTUC Health to equip workers in the growing intermediate long term care sector to better prepare for the requirements of a rapidly ageing population. Through this CTC, 1,000 workers stand to benefit from training and support as NTUC Health delivers a seamless and integrated model of care for seniors.
“Our staff play an important role in innovating care models and processes and delivering care that meets the evolving needs of seniors and their families. It is important for us to equip them to succeed in a job that can be challenging, not just physically but also mentally and emotionally. This is why we are glad to partner Healthcare Academy to develop our staff and prepare them to adapt well in an environment that will see greater use of technology and transformed business processes,’ said Ms Chan Su Yee, Chief Executive Officer of NTUC Health.
Promoting mental wellness for more healthcare workers
As healthcare workers navigate their rapidly changing work environment in their delivery of care, it is often mentally and emotionally strenuous. In September 2018, HSEU partnered the Association of Psychotherapists and Counsellors Singapore (APACS), an NTUC U Associate, on a programme to improve the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers while enabling them to focus on the complex and high-touch aspects of their work.
To promote mental wellness and resilience in a more pervasive way, the Healthcare Academy, NUHS and APACS has inked an MOU to provide a variety of support services for NUHS employees, such as retainer clinics, a dedicated hotline, lunchtime talks, training courses and even restorative circles for those who are impacted by a crisis or major events.
Ms Doreen Heng, Nurse Assistant Director of Nursing (Clinical) at Alexandra Hospital said, “The nurses’ job can be physically and emotionally demanding. We need to practise patience and empathy even when faced with challenging patients and situations. Raising awareness and accessibility of courses which promote and enhance mental wellbeing, helps us to prevent burnout and learn to handle stress.”
Continuous efforts to uplift entire healthcare industry
Ms K. Thanaletchimi, President of HSEU said, “The agreements inked today serve to support healthcare workers in a real and meaningful way, to help them reskill and upskill for the future. We are especially excited to work with NUHS and NTUC Health. Their commitment to work with us to roll out clear action plans to all their workers is truly commendable. On a similar note, our continued partnership with APACS reinforces the value we place in the welfare, particularly the mental wellbeing, of our healthcarers. This is critical especially in the changing world of healthcare. We want to be with our workers every step of the way, helping them seize better wages, welfare and work prospects.”
Today’s event follows through from the formation of a CTC between the Healthcare Academy and Tan Tock Seng Hospital in May this year, which aimed to benefit 9,000 employees. This brings the number of healthcare workers set to benefit from CTCs to a total of 34,000, which is about 40 per cent of the industry’s workforce size of 81,000.
The Labour Movement remains committed to form more CTCs so as to equip the entire healthcare workforce with adaptive, technical and technology skills that are necessary for them to thrive in workplaces of tomorrow.
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