Singapore to increase pool of public sector psychologists by 40% to meet demand for mental health services
The government also aims to train more than 130,000 frontline personnel and volunteers by 2030 to provide mental health support.
The numbers of public sector psychiatrists and psychologists are set to increase by about 30 per cent and 40 per cent respectively by 2030. (Photo: iStock)
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SINGAPORE: The government is set to increase the pool of mental health professionals in the public sector and upskill more frontline staff and volunteers by 2030 to support people with mental health needs.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) will be expanding the hospital and long-term care capacity as a "safety net" to meet the care needs of people with severe and chronic mental health conditions, Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary said on Wednesday (Feb 7).
He was speaking during a parliamentary motion on advancing mental health in Singapore, with Members of Parliament (MPs) suggesting various ways to better address mental health care.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Rahayu Mahzam said that the government aims to increase by 2030 the pool of psychiatrists in the public sector by about 30 per cent to 260.
It also aims to increase the pool of psychologists in the public sector by about 40 per cent to 300 by 2030, she added.
As of 2022, there were 203 registered psychiatrists and 212 psychologists in the public sector.
“However, solely increasing the number of psychiatrists and psychologists will be insufficient and unsustainable to meet increasing demands for mental health services,” she said.
Pointing to a tiered care model - which organises mental health services according to the severity of an individual's needs - Ms Rahayu said that more patients will receive timely care in the community, provided by appropriate mental health professionals such as counsellors.
“This will allow psychiatrists and psychologists to focus on patients with more complex mental health needs,” she said.
Ms Rahayu added that the government is committed to continue to raise the capability and capacity of community service providers, and will monitor the changes in demand for mental health services to ensure the continued adequacy of manpower required for mental healthcare.
An intermediate residential facility will be developed to support youths who are at risk of suicide or severe self-harm. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Rahayu Mahzam, who announced this in Parliament on Wednesday (Feb 7), pointed out that not all youths with suicidal behaviour suffer from mental health conditions. Instead, they may have experienced social stressors, such as difficulties coping with schoolwork and bullying. This facility will cater for this group of youths, between 10 and 19 years old. They will be supported by a multi-disciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses and live-in care staff. The team will identify the needs of youths in crisis, provide psychosocial interventions, such as counselling and medical attention. Turning to manpower for mental health care, Ms Rahayu said as of 2022, there were 203 registered psychiatrists and 212 psychologists in the public sector. The Government aims to increase the number of psychiatrists by about 30 per cent to 260, and the number of psychologists by about 40 per cent to 300 by 2030. However, solely increasing the number of psychiatrists and psychologists is insufficient and unsustainable, she said. This is one of the reasons why the Government developed the tiered care model to provide timely care in the community and allow psychiatrists and psychologists to focus on patients with more complex mental health needs. Ms Rahayu stressed that the cornerstone of Singapore’s national mental health well-being strategy is the tiered care model, with different care levels depending on the intensity of interventions to provide the right care at the right time based on the individual’s needs. She said existing studies suggest that a tiered model of mental health care delivery, where mental health care can be easily accessible in community settings, is a better approach compared with concentrating services in hospital settings. On concerns raised over the lack of access to private insurance for persons with mental health conditions, Ms Rahayu said the Ministry of Health and Monetary Authority of Singapore will act against insurers who breach the rules. They will review this issue and improve private insurance coverage for mental health.
MORE FRONTLINE STAFF TRAINED, ADDITIONAL BEDS
More frontline personnel and volunteers will be trained to identify mental health needs and provide psychological first aid if needed, said Dr Puthucheary said on Wednesday.
More than 48,000 frontline personnel – including teachers and officers from various agencies such as the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Housing Development Board (HDB) and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) – and 54,000 volunteers have been trained to recognise and provide basic emotional support to those in need, and refer them for further mental health support when necessary.
The eventual goal is to extend the training approach to more than 130,000 frontline personnel and volunteers by 2030, to ensure a broader network of support for individuals with mental health needs, Dr Puthucheary said.
Singapore will continue to need "some increase" in facilities in long-term psychiatric care, he added.
At present, there are almost 1,000 acute psychiatric beds. This will increase to about 1,070 by 2030. Step-down residential care beds will also increase from 3,000 presently to 3,500 by 2030.
The government also aims to make mental health services available in all polyclinics and 1,350 HealthierSG GP clinics by 2030.
This is to ensure that more patients with common mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, have access to mental health services in primary care settings, added Dr Puthucheary.
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR YOUTHS
The 2022 National Population Health Survey found that youths aged 18 to 29 formed the largest proportion of people with poor mental health in Singapore.
To support youths at risk of suicide or severe self-harm, an intermediate residential facility will be developed, said Ms Rahayu.
“Not all youths who present with suicidal behaviour suffer from mental health conditions.
“Instead, they may have experienced social stressors such as having difficulties coping with school work and being bullied,” she added.
The new facility will cater to this group of youths aged 10 to 19 to support them within a safe environment.
They will be supported by a team consisting of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses and live-in care staff, said Ms Rahayu.
The facility will provide services such as identifying the needs of youths in crisis, providing psychosocial interventions, such as counselling and supportive medical attention, and facilitating the transition of youths with support from community partners before they are discharged.
In addition, the number of community mental health teams – known as CREST-Youth – and youth-integrated teams that support youths with mental health needs will also increase by 2030.
As of September last year, there were four youth-integrated teams that have supported more than 3,000 youths and parents, and eight CREST-Youth teams that have reached over 87,000 youths and parents.
By 2030, this will be expanding to 15 youth-integrated teams and CREST-Youth teams each across the country, said Ms Rahayu.
"GO-TO PLACES" TO SEEK HELP
To make it easier for those seeking help, Singapore will also set up first-stop touchpoints or "go-to places" for mental health support, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua during his speech.
He pointed to feedback that seeking help can be an "overwhelming" process as many do not know where, when and how to find help.
"This is a key issue for us, as there remains a treatment gap – many who need help are not getting the help that they need, and far too many get help far later than they should," said Mr Chua.
"The complex web of services available can indeed have the unintended consequence of deterring help-seeking."
The first-stop touch points will identify clients’ mental health needs and provide the appropriate service including relevant information, immediate mental health support and intervention, or referrals.
Mr Chua added that Singapore will also build up and promote in-person touchpoints, including community mental health teams so that the public is aware of where to seek help.
"With this move, we hope that the public will become more aware of the existence of the many social service agencies in our community providing psychotherapy and emotional support, and not just clinics and hospitals."
