Procedures for Contacting Next-of-kin and Management of Unaccompanied Accident and Emergency Patients

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) in the case of a person who is admitted to public hospitals, how long on average does it take for the hospital to contact the next-of-kin; and (b) what are the standard operating procedures in cases where the person admitted to the accident and emergency (A&E) department is not accompanied by a family member.

Hospitals deal with a wide range of patient cases, where judgement matters greatly, so it all depends on the situation. In an accident and emergency (A&E) department, clinicians need to provide appropriate medical care, including life-saving interventions, based on the urgency of the patient's condition. Hospitals will therefore generally contact next-of-kins (NOK) as soon as possible.

In cases where patients are not communicative, hospitals will try to establish the patient's identity and NOK's contact information through various means, such as hospital records. As a last resort, hospitals may work with the police to establish the patient's identity and contact the NOK accordingly.