The healthcare sector in Singapore is poised for growth, with 9,000 jobs projected to support new facilities and services in public and aged care settings, and various industry-wide productivity and innovation-led initiatives slated to transform the sector into a high-tech and high-touch sector that caters to a rapidly ageing population.
At the crux of this transformation lies the importance of attracting and retaining talent that are of the right fit. Since 2016, the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) has been working together with healthcare-related NTUC U Associates on initiatives that address jobs-related issues within the sector.
In this vein, HSEU and the Association of Psychotherapists and Counsellors (Singapore) [APACS], an NTUC U Associate, have identified a gap that is currently underserved within the healthcare sector: Ensuring the mental health and mental well-being of healthcare workers, especially those in frontline positions which make up the majority of the total healthcare workforce in Singapore.
Role of mental well-being in redefining healthcare service delivery and care
HSEU and APACS have been collaborating since early 2016 to deliver a monthly series of talks on mental wellness for healthcare workers. At the talk on “Get Your Resilience Up” held for healthcare workers from the National University Hospital today, HSEU and APACS formalised their existing partnership through the announcement of the HSEU-APACS Alliance, which will drive initiatives to promote the mental well-being of current and future healthcare workers, so that these workers are able to focus on the complex and high-touch aspects of their work. The strategy entails:
1) Awareness Agent:
a. Creating awareness to address stigma issues of mental health via outreach events for HSEU
and APACS members, management partners and public at large. Outreach events include:
i. Seminars/workshops/talks for management and healthcare working people to keep
themselves abreast with mental health developments at the workplace
ii. Counselling sessions for healthcare working people
iii. APACS participation in healthcare industry bazaars and joint events e.g. healthcare
appreciation months to raise awareness to public at the various healthcare institutions
b. Increase recognition for the counsellors and psychotherapists professions by working with
APACS to offer relevant courses in mental health to advance professional development growth,
develop expertise in mental health and to equip interested working people and students in
obtaining certification in mental health.
2) Support Agent:
a. Uplifting professional standards of psychotherapists
Raising the consideration in accrediting and licensing of the psychotherapist profession, and the
setting up of professional standards and seeking support from relevant organisations in this area
b. Creating networks of support comprising various industry stakeholders, including members and
partners of the Labour Movement family such as HSEU, APACS, other U Associates, platforms/bodies
that cater to freelance healthcare workers (e.g. Jaga-Me), management partners, etc
Commenting on this partnership, President of the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union K. Thanaletchimi shared, “The Alliance believes in collaboration and partnership in areas that will serve the needs of the workers and the society at large. One of the more important areas that we want to focus on, would be to work on uplifting the standards of our psychotherapists and counsellors, and come up with a framework and chart proper progression and career pathways for these professionals. In doing so, we hope to help them gain recognition of the important work that they do, and how they are the bedrock for healthcare workers today and tomorrow.”
“Though it is more acceptable for most people now compared to a decade ago, receiving counselling and psychotherapy services can still remain somewhat of a stigma issue for the individual. The collaboration between HSEU and APACS through efforts such as providing lunch time talks allows us to jointly create an awareness and understanding of the importance of mental and emotional well-being to the individual within the healthcare sector. This provides a safe platform for exploration and with that, stigmatisation will be reduced”, mentioned the Association of Psychotherapists and Counsellors (Singapore) President Abigail Lee.
The HSEU-APACS Alliance will continue to host monthly talks on mental wellness, with the next session to be held on 31 October 2017 on the topic of stress management. The Alliance will also be a key supporter and participant of the 5th Asia Pacific Rim International Counsellors & Psychotherapists Conference taking place from 1 to 3 December 2017, an event aimed to drive healthy mental and emotional well-being for Singaporeans. More information on upcoming activities will be made available at www.facebook.com/HSEU.singapore.
Labour Movement by the side of working people
Commenting on the Labour Movement’s efforts to be by the side of working people, NTUC Assistant Director-General and Director, NTUC U Associate Vivek Kumar said, “The Labour Movement recognises the need to foster collaboration across sectors and domain expertise, to help our working people. Our strong core of unions and our professional network of U Associates have a unique opportunity to collaborate to put our members at the heart of the Labour Movement's efforts. This is certainly a unique model of cooperation to serve working people, one that we should harness based on our strong foundation in industrial peace. The HSEU-APACS Alliance is one of the ways that highlight how the Labour Movement is evolving to come up with relevant products and services that better meet the needs of our working people."
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