SECURING SUSTAINED VOLUNTEERING The Centre for Healthcare Innovation is building on this momentum to develop a future pipeline of healthcare professionals through skills-based programmes with structured learning pathways. Ms Celine Ong, director of its Centre for Health Activation, said: “We are now looking at how care is going to be redesigned and how roles are going to be redeveloped for the professional workforce and also the informal workforce.” This includes para-clinical initiatives, such as volunteers assisting in pharmacy operations. The programmes also aim to equip participants with transferable skills including caregiving, which they can apply within their communities. But some hospitals also face challenges in retaining youth volunteers as they move through different life stages and shifting priorities. Hospitals are turning their attention to elderly volunteers as well, who offer greater weekday availability and can communicate with patients in various dialects. Ms Tan Hwee Ping, head of community relations at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital, said one of the key considerations when working with youth volunteers is securing longer-term commitment. She …