Opal
OPAL is a milestone in primary care, marking the first primary palliative care programme in Singapore. Many primary care doctors have long-standing relationships with their patients and are often the first to know when symptoms may point to a serious illness. Located near where patients live, primary care has unmatched reach and accessibility, making family doctors ideally placed to deliver general palliative care.
Spearheading the OPAL programme, St Luke’s Hospital (SLH) currently cares for more than 300 palliative care patients each year through its 40-bed Inpatient Hospice Palliative Care Service (IHPCS) and its home-based palliative care services. SLH is also able to care for primary care patients with more complex needs, as many come from its community hospital after an acute hospital stay.
Backed by S$2.2 million from Lien Foundation, OPAL extends beyond SLH’s own patients in two ways:
- GP partners: OPAL works with GPs and Primary Care Networks including I-CARE PCN, giving them multidisciplinary and administrative support (e.g., ACP documentation, hospice referrals) for OPAL patients. The hope is for more GPs, polyclinics and PCN partners to join this primary palliative care movement.
- Specialist referrals: NUH specialists refer patients whose illness is progressing but who don’t yet need hospice care, so they are supported between outpatient visits.
By starting palliative care earlier and closer to home, OPAL aims to reduce avoidable emergency department visits and hospital admissions. Its longer-term goal is a mindset shift across Singapore’s primary care landscape, so that primary palliative care becomes standard care.
(Photo by SLH)
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