Referring Patients to Nearby GP Clinics when Polyclinic Appointment Run Out
Care Process & Redesign
National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals
National Healthcare Group
27 January 2026
To refer stable patients to nearby GP clinics when Polyclinic appointments run out, reducing overbooked slots, long waiting. The collaboration with GP clinics may mitigate overbooked appointment slots, long waiting times, and high doctor workload.
Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 27 January 2026
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Workflow Redesign, Quality Improvement, Value Based Care, Patient Satisfaction
About this Content
Aims
To refer stable patients to nearby GP clinics when Polyclinic appointments run out, reducing overbooked slots, long waiting times, and doctor workload.
Background
When Polyclinic appointments run out, patients face long waiting times and doctors face increased workload, leading to potential burnout.
Methods
Patients who do not require urgent medical review, are aged between 2 and 70 years, have no mobility issues, and are not stepped down from hospital follow-up are referred to GP clinics. A flyer with GP clinic details is issued, and GP consultation rates are fixed at $15 excluding medication and investigation costs
Results
Up to 83% of patients agreed to be referred to GP clinics. There was a marked increase in GP referrals in Dec 2023, coinciding with a peak in Covid-19 cases.
Conclusion
The collaboration with GP clinics may mitigate overbooked appointment slots, long waiting times, and high doctor workload.
Lessons Learnt
GP clinics can help fill manpower gaps without recruiting more Polyclinic doctors or overworking existing ones. Consider incorporating online booking for GP slots.
Keywords
Polyclinic, GP clinics, Patient Referral, Reduce Wait Time
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | National Healthcare Group |
Organization(s) Involved | National Healthcare Group Polyclinics |
Platform(s) | National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Healthcare Administration |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Healthcare Administrators, General Practice |
Project Lead(s) | Benjamin Wong Jiann Shuenn |
Project Member(s) | Anandan Gerard Thiagarajah |
Connect with this contributor!
Benjamin Wong Jiann Shuenn - benjamin_js_wong@nuhs.edu.sg
Project Attachment
420_NUP_NHIP_2024_Referring_patients_to_nearby_GP_clinics_when_Polyclinic_appointment_run_out.pdf