Message from the Chairman

Our clinical team rolled out Phase Two of our Respiree monitoring programme, a collaboration that has garnered our technology partner’s successful closing of a US$11.6 million Series A financing.

We initiated Virtual Reality (VR) journeys, starting from Inpatient, Day Care and soon, to our Home Care. What is amazing about this is that it gives our patients the ability to visit places that meant something, to feel and see again, sometimes in the company of a loved one. We were immensely privileged to be able to facilitate a patient’s virtual journey home to his childhood town so far away, bringing his son with him. He passed away one week later.

Our Day Care team refreshed the R.I.S.E. (Restitutive. Integrative. Supportive. Empowering) programme into Version 2.0, incorporating the latest best practices – such is the pace of inclusion of evidence in our care.

Our Director of Nursing, Sister Atiqah Tanty, introduced our adaptation of “Liquid Nursing”, an award-winning rostering concept learnt from our partner Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) that makes us more efficient by three shifts per month. Our Home Care nurses continued to grow in their depth of practice and our Day Care team found new ways to lift patients’ spirits, yet give them peace of mind.

On the non-clinical front, our Finance and Human Resource teams streamlined their processes, rolling out digital solutions and weeding out inefficiencies while guarding quality and attention to detail. Our Information Technology and Data team took us up to the standards of the Data Protection Trustmark (DPTM) framework, ready for the upcoming Health Information Bill. The Operations team restructured Patient Services and streamlined three service workflows into one. We are weaving artificial intelligence (AI) into the daily operations of our teams.

In the midst of all this, our total patient load grew by about 30%. Step by step, we spread our wings island-wide across all three services, welcoming patients regardless of age, race or religion. Along the way, many new colleagues have joined our cause – each sharing the same conviction that we should do the right thing, make every moment matter, stand by our patients and continue to care for their families even beyond their final farewell.

I have Dr Mervyn Koh to thank for his strong and compassionate leadership as our former Medical Director. His legacy is a formidable clinical foundation that continues to receive trainee doctors, nurses, allied health and other fellows. He has left significantly large shoes, ably filled by Dr Tricia Yung, a dynamic energetic breath of fresh air.

Our Volunteer Management team embarked on a flexible work week that increased their morale, response rate and productivity by a third. They did so to further enable and support our beloved volunteers, who are chafing to do more. Vigils, befriending, and other patient-facing tasks give special meaning. Accompanying patients and families on outings and for their medical appointments helped enormously. The tireless administrative and other supportive tasks done by our volunteers have my endless gratitude. Their advocacy and passion inspire me every day.

Our Fundraising, Communications and Outreach functions were combined into a powerhouse Community Engagement team who launched new channels to engage, spread awareness and seek like-minded supporters across Singapore and beyond. We hosted our media friends in different ways so that they had the chance to witness the magical and tender work of hospice care. We gently nudged everyone during festive seasons such as Chinese New Year to share abundance with the two thirds of our patients who needed financial assistance.

We have proudly flown the flag of Dover Park Hospice high on the international stage, reflecting the quality and standards of our Ministry of Health, as we presented orally and through posters, or were invited as speakers at palliative care conferences. We now have a Doctorate (PhD) staff among us whose passion to add knowledge to palliative care is a wonderful calling.

Our annual Rose for Remembrance memorial service has continued to grow as we welcomed the families of more than 900 patients whose lives and legacies we came together to honour and celebrate. Our steadfast team of social workers and therapists, strongly supported by our volunteer corps, stood by to receive these families after the service. They are survivors of the loss of a loved one. Often, people think it is only the elders who pass on, but we have held younger patients and we are here for the children and spouses whom they have left behind. Many volunteers themselves have been bereaved. They understand what this grief feels like.

As we expand our work, I continue to watch over our governance – ensuring that risks are well-managed and that we care for our environment and social impact.

Dover Park Hospice’s mission remains unchanged - to bring comfort, symptom relief and deliver compassionate palliative care. We continue to strive for excellence in service, education and research, bringing hospice care to as many as we can.

I am immensely thankful to our staff, volunteers, donors and members of the Governing Council and Sub-Committees for walking with us through thick and thin. Together, hand in hand, we can make miracles come true. We would not be here today if not for you and what you do and give to Dover Park Hospice that keeps us strong enough to care for our patients.

Together, we continue to Make Every Moment Matter.