Mobilising Social Care for the Family Physicians
- Author:
Christine Hindarto Lim
;
Ng Joo Ming Matthew
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Voluntary Welfare Organisations;
Household Means Testing;
Resident Assessment Form
- From:The Singapore Family Physician
2015;41(1):32-45
- CountrySingapore
-
Abstract:
Community resources are limited. Most are run by Voluntary Welfare Organisations that depend on subsidies from the government and funds raised from donations and activities. The out-of-pocket payment from patients depends on per capita household means testing. Patients are matched to the type of services based on their functional statuses. The tools used for functional assessments are the RAF forms and Modified Bartel Index. Applications for most of the community services are done online through the Agency of Integrated Care. Essentially, there are three types of community resources, namely financial, psychosocial, and care resources to help patients in need. To navigate this social maze, Family Physicians will need to familiarise themselves with the type of resources available, the means testing procedure, as well as the referral system. After assessing the patient’s needs and functional status, family physicians will have to match the services that can best serve their patient’s needs.
