ULTIMATELY, A STRUCTURAL ISSUE
The bar for quality will only get higher and higher. Singaporeans have higher expectations today than a decade ago and regulations should reflect these.
A number of nursing homes are what we would describe as “legacy” facilities, born in different times when government attention was modest compared to today, and the community stepped up to fill a gap. These legacy nursing homes still provide necessary care today, but will eventually no longer be fit for purpose and need more help to keep up with requirements.
In an impassioned plea published in a forum letter, Dr Belinda Wee, a pioneer in the senior living sector, shared the challenges of caring for seniors and hoped aloud that “agencies will work with all senior care operators on the ground to modify, improve and support services, rather than close them down”.
She is right, of course: Singapore needs the operators, the facilities and the beds. Closing a nursing home causes real disruption to residents and their families, and there will be one fewer care option for Singapore’s growing senior population. Instead, can we “rescue” these homes and rehabilitate them?
The sector has steadily added bed capacity, from about 12,800 in end-2016 to over 20,000 in 2025 as well as operator scale with the three largest providers operating more than 1,000 beds each. This means where once the main concern was the lack of alternatives and realistic options for the residents affected, there are more options for partnerships or managed transitions when individual homes struggle.
The government has an effective backstop too. Vanguard Healthcare, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the MOH Holdings now operates five homes with over 1,200 beds. In fact, Vanguard is the operator tasked to ensure that despite the license revocations, affected Windsor and LC residents will continue to be adequately cared for.