An integrated psychiatric care facility in Hougang has begun gradually relocating long-stay mental health patients from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) into a community-based setting, representing a key development in Singapore’s effort to decentralize long-term psychiatric care.

Since opening in May, the facility operated by Vanguard Healthcare has admitted a growing number of residents from IMH into a 257-bed nursing home designed for individuals with chronic but stable psychiatric conditions. Additionally, a separate 48-bed rehabilitation home within the same complex, known as Vanguard Compass Home, targets patients with moderately stable mental health who are working toward reintegration into the community. A day care centre is also planned to open by early 2027.

At the official opening on October 5, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung described the hub as part of a broader strategy to provide a continuum of care tailored to patients' evolving needs. He highlighted that many long-stay patients at IMH, some of whom have resided there for more than a decade, often lack family or social support. With the median age of these residents now 58 and several aged 70 or above, many require more nursing and daily assistance rather than acute psychiatric treatment.

IMH, with nearly 2,000 beds, has served for decades as a sanctuary for individuals with severe psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. However, the hospital has increasingly become a long-term residence for older patients whose conditions have stabilized but who still need ongoing care and supervision.

To address this, Singapore has initiated a “right-siting” approach, moving suitable patients from hospital wards to homelike, community-based facilities where they continue to receive nursing care while pursuing rehabilitative activities that promote skills and independence. Examples include Sunlove and St Andrew’s Nursing Home.

Vanguard Healthcare's integrated model co-locates a nursing home and a rehabilitation home, allowing for smoother transitions as patient needs change. At the Compass Home, residents share communal spaces and are encouraged to participate in daily activities such as laundry, meal preparation, medication management, and social interaction. Vocational support is also provided, with some clients finding employment locally. For instance, two residents have secured jobs as dishwashers and another, aged 65 and diagnosed with schizophrenia, recently began working at a fast-food restaurant while planning to move into independent housing within a year.

Originally established by the Ministry of Health to operate government nursing homes, Vanguard Healthcare now runs multiple integrated care facilities across Singapore, including those in Woodlands and Senja. The Hougang hub represents a significant step in reshaping mental health care by bridging hospital treatment and independent living with community-based services.