Redesigning bed assignment principles: Reducing bed wait time through overflows
Care Process & Redesign
National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals
SingHealth
10 October 2025
The aim of the project was to reduce bed wait time for General Medicine patients by redesigning bed assignment principles. The project successfully reduced wait time, improved patient access to care, and decongested the ED, demonstrating the effectiveness.
Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 10 October 2025
Tags: Workflow Redesign, Cost Saving, Time Saving, Bed Occupancy Rate, Productivity, Quality Improvement, Access To Care, Waiting Time, Care Process ＆ Redesign
About this Content
Aims
The aim of the project was to reduce bed wait time for General Medicine patients by redesigning bed assignment principles and introducing overflow strategies.
Background
Long bed wait time is a significant issue in hospitals, affecting patient care and experience. The median monthly percentage of ED patients with bed wait time more than 4 hours was 85.1% for General Medicine specialty from January to June 2023.
Methods
A multi-stakeholder effort was initiated, involving units such as Bed Management Unit,Inpatient Nursing, and General Medicine. A root cause analysis was conducted, and overflow strategies were implemented to allow General Medicine patients to be admitted in wards of other specialties.
Results
The project resulted in a 15.6%-point reduction in the overall proportion of ED admissions with bed wait time beyond 4 hours, and a significant reduction in daily average ED lodger numbers.
Conclusion
The project successfully reduced wait time, improved patient access to care, and decongested the ED, demonstrating the effectiveness of the overflow strategy.
Lessons Learnt
Bed management is a complex issue requiring collaborative effort. Implementing a utilization tracking file from the start would have ensured optimal use of bed resources.
Keywords
bed wait time, overflow strategies, patient care
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | SingHealth |
Organization(s) Involved | Sengkang General Hospital |
Platform(s) | National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Nursing, Healthcare Administration |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Healthcare Administrators |
Project Lead(s) | Kaye Peh |
Project Member(s) | Angela Koh |
Connect with this contributor!
Kaye Peh - kaye.peh.k.y@skh.com.sg
Project Attachment
1049_SKGH_NHIP_2025_Redesigning_bed_assignment_principles.pdf