Gaps in Support Pathways for Individuals with Serious Mental Health Conditions Who Are Unable to Maintain Community Living

Ms Elysa Chen asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health regarding the current tiered mental health care model anchored in community-based support through Community Outreach Teams and Community Intervention Teams, whether there are plans to address potential policy gaps regarding support pathways for individuals with serious mental health conditions who are deemed unable to maintain community living but not of the profile for admission to Institute of Mental Health.

Singapore has established psychiatric intermediate- to long-term care facilities to support stable individuals with mental health conditions of varying severity.

These facilities include psychiatric nursing homes for patients with long-term care needs, psychiatric rehabilitation and psychiatric shelter homes for patients that require residential psychiatric rehabilitation and psychiatric day care centres to support individuals undergoing rehabilitation in the community.

Our community and step-down care models enable individuals with severe but stable mental health conditions to progressively reintegrate back into the community.