NTUC Health’s Jurong West nursing home to open next year

SINGAPORE — A new nursing home in Jurong West — the first to be operated by NTUC Health — is expected to begin operations by the third quarter of next year and NTUC Health plans to invest in operating five more in the next three to five years.

The nine-storey facility, which can accommodate up to 290 residents, will also feature a senior care centre that can cater to up to 60 seniors.

With more working families bearing the burden of elderly healthcare costs in a rapidly ageing population, there is a greater need to operate a nursing home and to try to reduce the cost of operation to benefit the working population, said Mr Lim Boon Heng, chairman of NTUC Enterprise Co-operative, at a press conference yesterday.

NTUC Enterprise is the holding group of the NTUC social enterprises, which include NTUC Health.

The nursing home, which aims to provide holistic care with clinical nursing services as well as the social aspects of care, will be able to draw support from NTUC Health’s team of professionals, such as pharmacists, doctors and dentists, as well as its network of home and day care services.

Asked about the cost of services at the new home, Mr Lim said details on the exact pricing are not yet available but said it will be kept as low as possible.

Recruiting and training the more than 100 staff needed to operate the nursing home is a key challenge in a tight labour market, said Mr Chua Song Khim, chief executive of NTUC Health, which was awarded the tender to run the facility by the Health Ministry.

On top of hiring qualified nursing professionals, it will look to bring retirees back into part-time work who can be trained as support staff, he added.

NTUC Enterprise’s Group CEO Tan Suee Chieh also announced a 10-year vision and strategic plan that will help its group of social enterprises to continue to deliver meaningful social outcomes until 2025. “As Singapore continues to change, we will need to re-think, re-invent and re-imagine what we can collectively do for Singapore as the country evolves,” he said.