Singapore legislation
Regulation 16
of Healthcare Services (Nursing Home Service) Regulations 2023
Regulation 16
General requirements relating to patient care
Subregulation 1
A licensee must ensure that every patient is properly assessed and the appropriate care or treatment is provided to, or appropriate procedure is conducted on, the patient in a proper, effective and safe manner.
Subregulation 2
Without limiting paragraph (1), a licensee must —
employ or engage a pharmacist to perform regular medication reconciliation for every patient, and provide the findings of every medical reconciliation and his or her recommendation (if any) based on the findings of the medical reconciliation to the licensee;
ensure that every recommendation of the pharmacist mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) is implemented or (if a recommendation is not implemented) the licensee’s reason for not implementing the recommendation is recorded; and
ensure the safety, wellbeing and comfort, and protect the privacy, of every patient receiving care or treatment at any approved permanent premises.
Subregulation 3
Where a patient needs to receive any care, treatment or procedure that the licensee is not authorised to provide at any approved permanent premises of the licensee, the licensee must make arrangements to ensure that the patient receives the care, treatment or procedure by a suitably qualified healthcare professional (who is not the licensee’s personnel) at premises other than the approved permanent premises in a timely manner.
Subregulation 4
Without limiting paragraph (3), a licensee must ensure that a patient who suffers from an acute condition and needs to receive an acute hospital service is transferred to the approved permanent premises of an acute hospital service licensee for the purpose of enabling the patient to receive treatment for the acute condition.
Subregulation 5
In this regulation —
Definition
“acute hospital service” has the meaning given by paragraph 2 of the First Schedule to the Act;
Definition
“acute hospital service licensee” means a person who holds a licence under the Act to provide an acute hospital service;
Definition
“medical reconciliation” means the review of a patient’s medication record and prescription to —
evaluate the patient’s progress towards achieving the intended therapeutic effect of the drug therapy designed for the patient; and
ensure that the drug therapy continues to be appropriate, safe and effective for the patient;
Definition
“wellbeing”, in relation to a patient, means the patient’s wellbeing so far as relating to either of the following:
personal dignity;
physical, mental and emotional health.