Nursing Home Service

Regulatory requirements

When is a Nursing Home Service licence needed?

You will require a Nursing Home Service licence if you:

• Provide a healthcare service to an inpatient who is an elderly or disabled, or has a life limiting condition or illness, and requires continuous nursing care.

For the legal definition of a Nursing Home Service, please refer to the First Schedule of the Act.

Applicable Specified Services and Mode of Service Delivery

The only allowable Mode of Service Delivery for Nursing Home Service is permanent premises. The following Specified Services are offered under the Nursing Home Service:

• Blood Transfusion Service (only allowed in nursing homes with approval for Hospice Service)

• Collaborative Prescribing Service

• Hospice Service

Requirements to be a Clinical Governance Officer

An individual must be in good standing and fulfil all of the criteria below to be appointed as a Clinical Governance Officer (CGO).

1. For an individual to fulfil the requirements to be a CGO, he or she must:

   • Reside in Singapore during his or her appointment as a CGO

   • If a doctor is to be appointed as a CGO, he or she must:

     • Be a fully registered medical practitioner with Singapore Medical Council and hold a valid practising certificate, AND must have one of the following:

       • Registration as a specialist in any branch of medicine; 

       • Registration as a family physician in the Register of Family Physicians;

       • Full-time work experience as a medical practitioner for at least 5 continuous years or an aggregate period of at least 5 years during a continuous period of 10 years, in treating patients:

         • In the provision of an outpatient medical service, outpatient renal dialysis service, acute hospital service or community hospital service provided in a private hospital, medical clinic or healthcare establishment licensed under the repealed Private Hospital and Medical Clinics Act (PHMCA); or

         • In the provision of an outpatient medical service, outpatient renal dialysis service, acute hospital service or community hospital service licensed under the HCSA.

   • If a registered nurse is to be appointed as a CGO, he or she must,

     • Be a fully registered nurse with Singapore Nursing Board and not be subject to any condition imposed on his or her registration by the Singapore Nursing Board, AND must have either of the following:

       • A degree in nursing recognised by the Singapore Nursing Board, OR

       • A qualification in any area of clinical nursing that is conferred by an institute of higher learning approved by the Director-General, after he or she becomes a registered nurse, AND

       • Have full-time work experience at any inpatient ward of a hospital or nursing home, whether in or outside Singapore, for a continuous period of at least 5 years immediately before the registered nurse’s appointment as a Clinical Governance Officer in:

         • Providing nursing care; AND

         • A nursing supervisory function in respect of the provision of a nursing care.

   • From Dec 2028, he or she must:

     • Be a fully registered nurse with Singapore Nursing Board and not be subject to any condition imposed on his or her registration by the Singapore Nursing Board, AND must have the following:

       • A degree in nursing recognised by the Singapore Nursing Board, AND

       • A qualification in any area of clinical nursing that is conferred by an institute of higher learning approved by the Director-General, after he or she becomes a registered nurse, AND

       • Have full-time work experience at any inpatient ward of a hospital or nursing home, whether in or outside Singapore, for a continuous period of at least 5 years immediately before the registered nurse’s appointment as a Clinical Governance Officer in:

         • Providing nursing care; AND

         • A nursing supervisory function in respect of the provision of a nursing care.

       • However, for incumbent nurse leaders whose identity was made known to MOH before 18 Dec 2023, they will be grandfathered as long as they remain employed at the same nursing home.

2. For an individual to fulfil the requirements to be a CGO of a Hospice Service, he or she must:

   • Be a fully registered medical practitioner with Singapore Medical Council and hold a valid practising certificate, AND

   • Be registered as a specialist doctor in palliative medicine; AND

   • Have full-time work experience as a medical practitioner for a continuous period of at least 5 years or an aggregate period of at least 5 years during a continuous period of 10 years, in treating patients where at least 3 years of the full-time work experience is in treating patients requiring palliative care, as a palliative medicine specialist, in:

     • A private Hospital, medical clinic or healthcare establishment licensed under the repealed Private Hospital and Medical Clinics Act (PHMCA), or

     • The provision of a healthcare service licensed under the HCSA.

3. For an individual to fulfil the suitability qualifications to be a CGO, he or she must not:

   • Have any of the following convictions, unless it is a spent conviction:

     • An offence involving fraud or dishonesty;

     • Offence under the HCSA, the PHMCA or any applicable Acts listed in the Annex A of the Code of Practice [PDF, 439KB];

     • An offence specified in the Third Schedule to the Registration of Criminals Act; or

     • Any other offence involving abuse, ill treatment, assault, or physical violence

   • Have a pending charge for an offence involving abuse, ill treatment, assault or physical violence

   • Be an undischarged bankrupt

   • Have had his or her healthcare professional registration(s) under MOH cancelled, removed, or suspended

   • Have been a director or manager of a healthcare service provider that had its registration or licence suspended, cancelled, or revoked

   • Have had his or her accreditation or approval to participate in MOH-administered public schemes revoked or suspended

   • Lack capacity within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2008.

For further details on the suitability requirements for a Key Office Holder, please refer to the Code of Practice [PDF, 439KB].

Reporting abuse

Nursing homes will be required to notify MOH of any allegations and incidents of abuse under HCSA. Nursing homes are required to report cases (including alleged cases) of the following nature:

• Physical abuse;

• Sexual abuse; or

• Psychological abuse [includes harassment and verbal abuses (e.g. repeated derogatory remarks) causing psychological distress to resident(s)].

Nursing homes shall notify MOH within 72 hours once they have been made aware of these cases, with the final incident report to be submitted within 30 days after the initial notification.

• Submit the notification form

• Submit the final incident report to MOH_NHS_Abuse@moh.gov.sg

• For assistance or guidance in managing incidents, please contact AIC at Assistance_NHabuse@aic.sg

For more information, please access the following links:

• Explanatory Guidance on Abuse Management in Nursing Homes [PDF, 264KB]; and

• Guidance Notes on the Licence Conditions for Serious Reportable Event Quality Assurance Committee for nursing home service licensees [PDF, 54KB]

Licence fee

For Nursing Home Service, the applicable licence fee is $1,100.

If you provide a Specified Service (SS), you will have to pay an additional fee on top of the LHS fee. If you offer two SSes, you can pay a bundled fee instead.