2009/2010 - MINDS

ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS HUB
ANNUAL
REPORT
2 0 0 9 / 2 0 1 0
ALLIED HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS
HUB
The AHP team comprises the following:
Social
Workers
Physiotherapists
Psychologists
Occupational
Therapists
Speech &
Language
therapists
Matron & Health
Care consultant
Schools
8
8
4
4
4
-
Employment
Development
Centres
5
3
3
-
-
-
Residential
& TDCs
6
3
2
2
-
2
Total:
19
14
9
6
4
2
MILESTONES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Programme Development
Four multi-disciplinary study teams were formed in
2009 to augment the planning and development of
new services and programmes at MINDS. The teams
worked on:
(i) Ageing issues related to PWIDs (to propose service
development in management of ageing PWIDs). The
team co-researcher is Dr Koh Choon Huat (Assistant
Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Public
Health from Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine);
(ii) MINDS-wide Common Signing System was studied
by a multidisciplinary team led by the Speech and
Language Therapists and including non-AHPs. The
team co-researcher is Dr Radika Vasudeva (Director &
Consultant Speech-Language Therapist from Integrated
Speech & Swallow Work Pte Ltd);
(iii) Full-day programming for PWIDs (to develop a
concept paper covering the school, adult and residential
sectors);
(iv) PWIDs’ sexuality education and management (to
construct practitioner guidelines).
AHP Monthly Meetings
Since its inception in 2008, monthly multidisciplinary
meetings were conducted for all AHPs. These halfday
sessions served as a platform for discussions
on professional concerns, consensus seeking for
enhancing ways of working, identification of gaps in
service provision and idea generation for programme
development. The support provided at the meetings
had strengthened teamwork, enhanced communication
and created an opportunities for peer affirmation.
Career Coaching
Individual career coaching sessions were initiated
to build AHPs’ capabilities as a specialised
multidisciplinary team. The individual career coaching
and mentoring sessions with the AHP Director focused
on personal career aspirations, with consensus on
follow-up to be reviewed the following year.
Engagement of External Consultants
In order to grow AHP capabilities, several external
consultancy services were engaged. Dr Hoili Lim
(Senior Consultant Psychologist, Adam Road Medical
Centre) continued to provide clinical supervision
for all the Psychologists. Students Care Service’s
Principal Social Workers, Mrs Chuah Yin May and
Mrs Wong Cher Meng, also started individual and
group case consultation sessions for all the Social
Workers. Participating AHPs found these consultations
beneficial. Nonetheless, one of Hub priorities is also to
consciously expand and strengthen in-house capacity
for case consultation and clinical supervision.
18