Cocoon

Over 240 children and their families are expected to benefit over 4 years

SengKang Community Hospital offers 2 services: rehab/recovery & caregiver support

Cert course trains 60 professionals/year & Graduate Diploma trains 20/2-years

Palliative care for children starts far before end-of-life situations, with the goal of reducing pain and symptoms, improving comfort and enhancing quality of life for the child and family. It begins when life-limiting illness (e.g., cancer, organ failure, genetic disorders) is diagnosed and continues regardless of whether or not the child receives curative treatment.

Lien Foundation supports the Cocoon programme with funding S$4.7 million over 4 years:
– Currently, Singapore’s only paediatric facility at a community hospital
– Singapore’s first certificate course (KKH) and graduate diploma in paediatric palliative care (NUS)
– Other components yet to be announced include home rehab by AWWA and KKH services under development

Dedicated paediatric facility at SingHealth Community Hospital.
A large group of children who could benefit from Paediatric Palliative Care are those with chronic, complex conditions such as severe neurological impairment and complex medical conditions. The facility offers 8 beds for these children referred from KKH. Trained in paediatric palliative care, Sengkang Community Hospital’s team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, etc. will be closely supported by KKH, also under SingHealth.

This is not the first of its kind; now, it is the only such service in a community hospital – 8 beds for all children with complex care needs across Singapore. Similar services have been hard to sustain, given the demanding level of care; a few critical community services remain (outside the community hospital). SengKang Community Hospital offers 1) post-discharge from KKH, rehab sessions help children continue their recovery, 2) caregiver support provides the parents/family time to rest and recharge from relentless caregiving duties. Lien Foundation committed S$500,000 to help families access caregiver support.

Paediatric Palliative Care Courses
Two new courses target all healthcare professionals who work with children. KKH’s course trains a large base of professionals in generalist palliative care (complex cases get escalated to paediatric palliative care specialist). Developed by NUH, KKH and HCA Hospice, NUS’ Graduate Diploma offers in-depth training. Paediatric palliative care is distinct as the child evolves physically and developmentally, while parents are heavily involved in decision-making (the child might be too young or neurologically impaired). Children with complex conditions may have palliative needs for a very long time – underscoring the need for long-term support for the whole family.