Our Nursing Specialties & Services
WH Nursing offers a wide range of services and specialty care in both inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as in the community.
Specialist Outpatient Clinic
Specialist Outpatient Clinic (SOC) Nurses play a crucial role in the Singapore healthcare system, providing specialised care to patients outside of traditional hospital settings. Our SOC nurses collaborate with specialists to deliver tailored care, manage chronic conditions, and ensure continuity of treatment Their work enhances healthcare access, promotes preventive care, and boosts the overall efficiency of the healthcare system.
Our SOC Specialty Nurses are pivotal in delivering comprehensive care, bridging the gap between hospital care and community integration. They focus on the continuum of care, offering short to long-term support for patients transitioning from inpatient settings to the community. These nurses not only manage complex cases within the SOC but also extend their expertise to support inpatient nursing teams, providing valuable specialty advice and contributing to a seamless healthcare experience
Pain Management
Pain is a common yet complex condition that affects an individual's overall health and way of life. Our Pain Management nurses collaborate closely with other healthcare professionals, working tirelessly to alleviate suffering and enhance the quality of life for those in pain.
We provide a comprehensive suite of services tailored to individuals with acute and chronic pain, including education, meticulous pain assessment, the formulation and assessment of care plans.
Our primary objective is to assist people in regaining their independence, enabling them to resume their daily lives with increased comfort and reduced pain.
Breast Care
The Breast Care team is dedicated to providing comprehensive and holistic breast screening, diagnosis, and care for patients with breast conditions. Our Breast Care Nurses offer support and information to patients at the time of diagnosis, and also psychological and emotional support to patients, caregivers, and family members.
They provide pre- and post-surgery counseling for patients undergoing various types of breast surgeries. Working closely with surgeons, therapists, radiographers, and radiologists, they contribute to a smooth recovery journey for our patients. Onsite support and advice are available during your hospital stay, and we ensure timely provision of written and verbal information at appropriate intervals regarding the diagnosis and treatments for breast cancer.
Palliative Care
Palliative Care is a unique team that provides personalised, holistic management for individuals with life-limiting conditions such as advanced cancer, end organ failure.
Together with the clinicians, Palliative Care nurses are committed to render quality palliative nursing care to support the physical, psycho-emotionally needs of patients and families.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Cardiac rehabilitation is a specialised and closely monitored program with the primary objective of enhancing and individual's cardiovascular health following significant heart-related events or procedures including heart attacks, heart failure, angioplasty or heart surgery.
This comprehensive program comprises of:
- Heart health education
- Diet and nutrition counselling
- Cardiac risk factor changes
- Emotional support
- Individualised tailored education and exercise regimes
- Lifestyle adjustments
Respiratory
Respiratory team focuses on the provision of care for patient with diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract. Respiratory condition is a life long disease that requires delicate care and commitment.
By building trust and relationship with the patients, Respiratory nurses aim is to provide education and counselling through self-management and explore ways to improve their quality of life and at the same time they are able to integrate better into the community.
Diabetes Care
Our Diabetes Care team is dedicated to delivering personalized diabetes education and counseling, empowering both patients and caregivers to effectively manage diabetes care.
We excel in coordinating care plans within a multidisciplinary team, which includes doctors, nursing staff, medical social workers, dietitians, and community care nurses.
The Diabetes Care team consistently provides unwavering support and conducts regular follow-ups with patients and caregivers, with the goal of achieving improved clinical outcomes and enhancing their overall quality of life.
Frailty and Geriatric Medicine
Frailty and geriatric medicine are specialised fields that prioritise the health and well-being of frail and elderly individuals.
Our dedicated team offers comprehensive and holistic care for individuals facing frailty and geriatric conditions, which may include falls, dementia, delirium, depression, behavioral issues related to dementia/delirium, incontinence, and malnutrition.
Our nurses are wholeheartedly committed to delivering high-quality geriatric nursing care to our patients while providing unwavering support to their families and caregivers throughout the caregiving journey.
Neuroscience Care
Neuroscience is undoubtedly one of the most challenging medical specialties, requiring a deep understanding of the intricacies of the nervous system and its profound impact on the entire body.
Neuroscience stands out as a specialised area of nursing expertise. Our focus lies in providing dedicated care to individuals grappling with disorders of the brain, spine, and nervous system.
Our specialised care encompasses not only the management of these complex disease processes but also active involvement in the rehabilitation journey, supporting patients in their quest for improved health and well-being.
Urology
In addition to addressing lower urinary tract symptoms, our Urology and Continence nurses play a crucial role in supporting our medical team in the management of various urological conditions, including cancers, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), renal and bladder stones, among others.
Our nursing team also perform essential procedures and offering patient education. These procedures include inserting and changing urinary catheters, managing percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) bags, assisting with ileostomy bag changes, and providing guidance on intermittent catheterisation.
Oncology
Our Oncology nursing team is committed to delivering comprehensive care to patients grappling with solid malignancies.
Our services encompass a wide spectrum, including education on treatment regimens, side effects, and their management. We empower patients with information on when to seek medical advice or visit the Emergency department.
Furthermore, we manage the administration of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, closely monitoring each patient's tolerance to these therapies. Our unwavering support extends continuously to both patients and their families throughout their journey.
Rheumatology
Rheumatology nurses provides care to patients with autoimmune, soft tissue and metobolic bone disease in giving education and counselling to patients.
Empowering them with knowledge about their disease and medications so that patients is able to learn to live with their chronic diseases and cope with their daily lives, and at the same time to integrate better into the community.
Wound Care
Specialty wound and stoma nurses are commited to provide a holistic care for patients with acute and chronic wounds.
They provide compression bandages and wound management, stoma pre and post operative counseling, caregiver teaching and stoma management.
Emergency Nursing
Nursing in the Emergency Department (ED) is vital to ensuring seamless, safe, and timely patient flow based on acuity levels. Our nursing services include triaging, assessment, and monitoring, as well as assistance in the consult room. Our nurses perform basic and discipline-specific treatments within the scope of nursing practice, demonstrating high-intensity nursing care.
We also have a team of nurses dedicated to supporting frail patients in the ED. Their role involves conducting comprehensive assessments of the multi-dimensional needs of patients and referring them to relevant support services in the community. Additionally, our Nurse Specialist services, such as wound, asthma, and diabetes management, cater to patients with complex needs or those requiring frequent hospital care.
Our services extend beyond immediate care; we provide patient education, counseling, and follow-up post-discharge from the ED.
Community Nursing
Community nursing offers a comprehensive range of community-based nursing services to support the five care segments. Our community nurses collaborate with other healthcare providers and community-based service partners to ensure the effective planning and implementation of health promotion and disease prevention programs within the population.
The integration of community nursing with other WH nursing departments, such as ED, UCC, SOC, and inpatient wards, saw the introduction of Woodlands Health at Home (WH@Home) as an alternative to hospitalisation, and Hospital to Home (H2H) as a post-discharge home care service. These services empower patients with a broader range of medical conditions to receive care in the comfort of their homes.
The community nursing services is supported by a team of senior or specialised nurses.
General Medical Wards
General medical wards provide care and management of various complex and acutely ill patients under various specialties including acute assessment unit (AAU), neurology and neurosurgery, palliative, cardiology, respiratory medicine, haematology, oncology and endocrinology.
The Enhanced Care Area (ECA) is a designated area within the same ward for patients who require close observation. ECA aims to serve general ward patients with acute conditions and risk of deterioration requiring higher intensity of nursing care, but are deemed unsuitable for High Dependency or Intensive Care Unit.
We aim to restore our patients’ activities of daily living (ADLs), reduce caregiver burden, and enable their integration back to their homes or other step-down care. Our carerlink program will increase patient's readiness to go home by systematically preparing and supporting caregiver.
Medical Psychiatric Care Unit & Delirium Care Unit
Medical Psychiatric Care Unit (MPCU) provides specialised psychiatric nursing care for patients with medical and surgical care needs. The Delirium Care Unit (DCU) provides specialised care for patient with acute confusion related to medical illness.
General Surgery Wards
In our general surgery wards, our nurses specialise in providing care and managing various complex and acutely ill patients across specialties such as orthopaedics and urology, colorectal, neurological, otolaryngological, and general surgery.
Our primary objective is to restore patients' activities of daily living (ADLs), alleviate caregiver burden, and facilitate their integration back into their homes or other step-down care settings. Through our Carelink program, we systematically prepare and support caregivers, enhancing the patient's readiness to transition home.
Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Care Unit and High Dependency
ICU nursing services provide clinical services for all adults aged 16 years and above with the focus on management of patients with various complex medical, surgical and cardiac conditions. These include:
- Management of patients from operating theatre following elective or emergency surgery where intensive clinical and nursing care or life support are required post operatively
- Emergency admissions from ED
- General Wards where life support measures are required, and where intensive monitoring of patients’ vital signs is necessary
- Nursing also support outreach services to inpatient areas for the purposes of:
- Code blue activation
- Post ICU / HD discharge review
- Surveillance of patient with high National Early Warning Score (2) score
- Tracheostomy care team
- Support the inter-hospital ICU transfer of critically ill patients to receive care not available in WH, e.g. e-PCI for STEMI activation after office hour, Neuro-radiological interventions, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).
- ICU/CCU Nurse Clinician will assume the Brain Death Nurse Coordinator role, mainly focus on the operational role in facilitating early potential deceased organ donor identification, referral workflow in the ICU and brain death certification process.
Post Acute and Rehabilitative Care (PARC) Service
Our Post Acute and Rehabilitation Care (PARC) service plays a vital role in the continuation of patient care by focusing on the provision of time-limited rehabilitation and selected sub-acute clinical services.
Our team of multi-disciplinary medical, nursing, and allied health professionals work with our patients recovering from acute medical or surgical conditions requiring a period of inpatient therapy and re-conditioning for functional recovery.
PARC nurses assist patient in restoring their activities of daily living (ADLs), reducing caregiver burden, and enabling their integration back to their homes and community.
Renal Services
WH Renal Services comprise inpatient and outpatient renal services including haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis (PD) service. Renal nursing focuses on the treatment and management patients who either have or are at high risk of developing kidney disease.
The nephrology nurse will explain treatment methods to patients and their families and coordinates multidisciplinary healthcare teams to provide care for patients. One aspect of nephrology nursing is that most patients require long-term treatment, and this enables the nurse to develop a good relationship with patients and their families.
Operating Theatre Services
Operating Theatre (OT) Services provides care for patients who require Surgical and Anaesthetic procedures in both elective and emergency settings.
The OT, which consist of Major and Day Surgery OT, provide a full range of operative procedures as well as non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures with immediate post-operative care.
Central Sterile Supplies Department
The Central Sterile Supplies Department (CSSD) provide services including decontamination, assembling, sterilisation, storage and distribution of clean and sterile supplies and surgical instrument sets for all departments of the hospital.
Sterile Suppies and Endoscopes Tracking System (SSETs) is used for electronic documentation and tracking of surgical items that have gone through strerilsation within CSSD. It also enable real-time traceability of surgical items to ensure that the quality instrument/sets are safe for patient care.
Endoscopy Centre
Endoscopy Centre provides a comprehensive range of diagnostic and therapeutic gastro-intestinal endoscopy and bronchscopy services. It caters to both private and subsidised adult patients (aged 16 and above) in an ambulatory setting.
These services are supported by 3 specialties- Gastroenterology, General Surgery and Respiratory Medicine.
Department of Radiology
In the Department of Radiology (DoR), our radiology nurses specialise in assisting with range of diagnostic and interventional imaging procedures including subspecialties of diagnostic radiology.
They provide care to patients before, during and after a radiological procedure.
Radiology nurses are knowledgeable of various radiological diagnostic tests, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), ultrasounds and X-rays. They provide comprehensive education and pre- and post-proceudre support to the patients.
Invasive Cardiac Lab
In the Invasive Cardiac Lab (ICL), our nurses specialised are in assisting with diagnostic procedures and interventional catheterisations.
The nurses provide discharge teaching with patients and families including procedural, medications, activities, and dietary. They monitor and examine patients prior to procedures, as well as during and after.
They also administer medications and assist the medical team in whatever they may need during the procedure.
Infection Prevention Control
Our Infection Prevention Control (IPC) nurses work collaboratively with all levels of staffs in WH to:
- Enable WH to be ready for the emergence of any epidemic event, including pandemics,
- Achieve high quality care;
- Grant patients their right to clean care & ensure their safety;
- Protect all those providing care across WH.
IPC nurses support the implementation and execution of the IPC Program and Measures during pandemic and peace time.
We also conduct and disseminate the collected data results of HAI surveillance (e.g. surgical site infection, device associated infection, colonization or infection caused by MDRO, etc.) to facilitate prompt identification, prevention & control of infection IPC nurses monitor hospital wide performance indicators on a routine basis to improve quality and processes of care.
Continuing Professional Development
Nursing Education and Development is committed to provide development opportunities for our nurses and healthcare assistants, supporting a culture where nurses and healthcare assistants are valued for their professional capabilities.
We strive to support all staff in their professional development by providing opportunities for them to enhance their education, training and competencies, continually improving the provision of innovative educational opportunities and resources, with a focus on raising the quality of nursing practice.
We are committed to ensuring continuous improvement in all levels of nursing practice, advancing the value of nursing as a profession by promoting evidence-based practices. This includes supporting educational programmes focusing on core competencies, and sponsorship opportunities to develop in various career advancement.
Research and Innovation
We advance our nurses by strongly encourage and involving them in research that provides evidence used to support nursing practices.
Integrating nursing science
As advancements in information technology grows, the Nursing family welcomes the specialisation of Nurses into the field of Nursing Informatics. Nursing Informaticians aim to promote meaningful, user-friendly and patient-centric innovations, while vastly improving and redefining clinical workflows.
We specialise in integrating nursing science with various analytical and informational science to define, manage and communicate data, knowledge and wisdom in our nursing practice. Our ultimate aim is to improve care efficiency by allowing our nurses to focus on evidence based clinical practice, data and provide safe-quality care for our patients from hospital to community and home.