More enhanced community health posts across the island to bring health services closer to seniors

SINGAPORE - As Singapore enters super-aged status, community health posts around the island are enhancing their services to better meet the needs of its rapidly ageing population.

Singapore’s three public health clusters – the National University Health System, NHG Health and SingHealth – have upgraded services at 35 such posts in 2026, with more to be enhanced by 2027.

Community health posts are neighbourhood spaces where residents can access personalised health coaching and chronic disease management just a few minutes from home. Enhanced services include caregiver support and post-discharge follow up.

The boost comes as Singapore officially crossed over into becoming a super-aged society in 2026, with 21.4% of Singaporeans now aged 65 or older, according to the latest Population in Brief report by the National Population and Talent Division.

Located within community spaces such as active ageing centres (AACs) and places of worship, community health posts aim to provide access to basic health services closer to seniors.

In October last year Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced that these posts would offer enhanced services from 2026 – including frailty screening and telehealth consultations – beginning with those in the north of Singapore.

NHG Health, which oversees central and north Singapore, said it enhanced services at 27 such posts at AACs across four towns – Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun and Toa Payoh.

By March 2027, another 12 posts in these four neighbourhoods will be enhanced.

These posts now operate on a weekly basis, compared to a monthly arrangement previously, offering basic health assessments as well as support for preventive health and disease management, including health coaching and medication reviews.

SingHealth meanwhile said it had introduced five enhanced community health posts, located within AACs in Bedok and Tiong Bahru-Redhill.

In May the two areas were announced as Age Well Neighbourhoods - where enhanced care services and senior-friendly infrastructure are introduced in towns with more seniors. 

SingHealth deputy group chief executive of its regional health system Lee Chien Earn told ST services at these enhanced posts include onsite medication collection, teleconsultations with doctors from SingHealth Polyclinics and medication review with community nurses. 

The posts will also offer community pharmacy and nutrition services, in addition to existing services such as weight management and smoking cessation counselling, he added. 

“All enhanced community health posts are open at least once a week and will continue to accept walk-in requests from residents,” he said.

Lee noted that SingHealth currently has more than 150 such posts within AACs, as well as other accessible locations such as community centres and places of worship. 

“To date, our SingHealth community health posts have seen approximately 58,800 unique residents for chronic conditions such as frailty, cognitive decline, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia,” he added. 

Together with its partners, SingHealth is constantly evaluating and exploring new sites and services to be provided by such posts, he added. 

The National University Health System (NUHS) said it had been progressively rolling out its enhanced community health posts since May, with three such sites at AACs in Bukit Panjang, which was also identified as an Age Well Neighbourhood in May. 

Another four CHP sites will be enhanced by end-March 2027, the NUHS spokesperson said.

Enhanced services at these posts include “structured care bundles” tailored to the individual needs of residents, packaging services such as frailty and chronic management together with health talks and lifestyle coaching. 

Early indicators are encouraging, with increased attendance and walk-ins observed at the enhanced community health posts, the spokesperson added. 

NHG Health population health chief operating officer Ong Jing Fang said different towns require different approaches and interventions, adding her cluster looks at the demographics and health profiles of each town to see what their health needs are.

“In parts of the north, for example, we see higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension and lower levels of physical activity. In a mature estate such as Toa Payoh, healthy ageing, frailty and maintaining independence become increasingly important,” she said.

“The health priorities of the community should determine how we organise our efforts around residents,” she said.

Seow Mei Poh, a community health senior staff nurse with NHG Health, said her work involves making seniors aware of the various avenues for healthcare available to them.

“The AAC staff build a rapport with the seniors and tell them, why not come and see the nurse to share your problems,” said Seow, who works with community health posts in the Toa Payoh area.

This allows the community health nurses to better understand their situation and refer them to the appropriate services when necessary, she said, adding that this in turn allows more issues to be managed within the community, reducing the burden on the tertiary health system.

NHG Health’s Ong said moving healthcare into the community allows for residents to receive support before they become seriously ill, rather than waiting until they need hospital care.

“Ultimately, success is not measured by how many people come into our hospitals. It is measured by how many never need to,” she said.