CULTIVATING A CARING CULTURE IN AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CLUSTER IN SINGAPORE: WE CARE AS OneNUHS

The National University Health System (NUHS) is an academic medical cluster in Singapore formed through the integration of four healthcare institutions in 2017. These include the National University Hospital, the Jurong Health Campus, Alexandra Hospital and the National University Polyclinics; each with different historical backgrounds and cultures. This clustering was part of the national exercise to integrate Singapore’s public healthcare institutions. NUHS now employs over 14,000 staff serving the health needs of the Western sector of Singapore. Following its formation, NUHS developed a clear vision, mission and set of core values. It then went on to establish a OneNUHS identity as well as to define and cultivate its culture.

A series of cluster-wide engagement sessions
identified the culture archetype and the culture
narrative ‘WE CARE as OneNUHS’ was born,
emphasizing care for our people as well as our
patients, and highlighting the importance of
working together to tap on the synergies across the
institutions.
In cultivating this culture, we developed a
programme to help our staff understand what it
means, how to apply and live it. WE CARE
workshops were designed in partnership with the
Arbinger Institute to effect a fundamental mindset
shift, through better self-awareness, accountability
and collaboration, to drive sustained behavioral
shifts. To influence all 14,000 staff, identified
People-Leaders were trained to conduct the WE
CARE sustained programme across the institutions
over a three-year effort to create a cascading
impact. The programme focuses on discussions and
sharing in groups of staff within their circle of
influence; opening conversations and reinforcing
these concepts to ensure enduring change. Full
roll-out of the programme is expected to be
completed by mid-2025.
Alongside the workshops are communication and
mindshare efforts, augmented by parallel efforts to
enhance staff well-being as well as patient support
initiatives. All these initiatives are leader-led, with
consistent sharing of efforts and developments
through regular staff communications, further
supported by service-training tools for frontline
staff. The organizational systems are also
progressively aligned with the Caring concept and
founded on the axiom ‘WE CARE as OneNUHS’.

Effectiveness of systemic initiatives in building
our desired culture is measured via periodic WE
CARE assessment surveys to evaluate the
understanding and application at the individual
level, and witnessed real improvements on the
ground. Improvements in other key surveys and
HR matrices such as the Patient Experience
Surveys (PES) and Employee Engagement
Surveys (EES) and attrition rates would also
signal success in our cultural change efforts.
Details and progress on this journey will be
shared in the presentation.
NUHS has embarked on cultivating a caring
culture, emphasizing the importance of caring
for our people as well as our patients. It is a
deliberate effort to build a positive culture
and tradition, with significant long-term
positive impact on the work environment,
interactions between staff and also with
patients and caregivers.We believe that when
our staff feel cared for, they will be better
able to care for our patients, delivering
Incredible Care and Health,
together.