Development of Wellbeing Coordinators to Support Population’s Wellbeing in Eastern Region of Singapore

Background:SingHealth envisions a population where residents are empowered and actively involved in their health. This involves providing person-centred care and addressing the Social Determinants of Health of residents, which are fundamental to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes.

To achieve this vision, SingHealth developed Wellbeing Coordinators (WBCs), who act as health and social care integrators to journey closely with residents in the community.

 

Approach: As WBCs are a new staff group comprising staff with diverse non-clinical backgrounds, there is a need for SingHealth to establish structures, bring together relevant subject matter experts, and identify key priorities to build their capacity and capabilities.

A Deputy Director, Health & Social Integration (HSI), was appointed to oversee the development of SingHealth WBCs. The SingHealth Regional Health System (RHS) Care Coordinator Taskforce and subsequently SingHealth RHS HSI Committee were formed to formalise the professional development of WBCs.

 

It is a massive undertaking involving stakeholders across established staff groups such as Family Physicians, Nurses, Allied Health Professionals, Administrators and Human Resources in needs assessment, development of the role and scope to address gaps in Social Determinants of Health, establishing the required governance, hiring and training of staff.

Care coordinators and similar roles across SingHealth were identified and re-designated as WBCs, to focus efforts on developing them as a single staff group. Plans were implemented to scale the WBC workforce across SingHealth institutions.

 

Results: From a handful of WBCs in 2013, SingHealth now have over 100 WBCs across different hospitals and care settings. WBCs support seniors in their homes, Community Health Posts, wards to facilitate care transition back into community, outpatient clinics and virtually over the phone.

 

A harmonised Career Development Path and competency framework for WBCs were successfully developed to ensure that WBCs undergo common foundational trainings and are well equipped to provide care for residents regardless of their background and prior qualifications. Competencies are reviewed periodically to ensure their relevance, where the Group Concept Mapping methodology was used to facilitate a review recently in 2025. New trainings were also introduced based on evolving needs of the community, such as trainings to equip WBCs to handle cases with mental health needs.

Care escalation and referral workflows were developed and disseminated to guide WBCs in managing cases with health or social needs that are beyond their scope of practice. A staff safety plan was also developed for WBCs when they deliver care in the community. This help provide assurance for the WBCs to practise safely while providing the required care.

WBCs also gained recognition within SingHealth and with the public through building a common identity across care settings and concerted publicity on the role they play through the media.

 

Implications: When developing a new staff group to address unmet needs in the population, continual support by and engagements with the right subject matter experts and staff themselves are crucial. As population needs will continue to evolve, it is important to regularly review existing capabilities and development opportunities to ensure relevance of WBCs.