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October 4, 2026

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Priority queues, trained staff at polyclinics among proposals to support people with intellectual disabilities

The task force also recommended introducing future care planning across adult disability services to help people with disabilities and their families plan ahead.

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SINGAPORE: Frontline staff at all polyclinics should be trained by 2028 to better support people with intellectual disabilities and autism, a government task force has recommended.

In a report released on Sunday (Oct 4), the task force also proposed priority queues at polyclinics to shorten waiting times for patients with behavioural or anxiety-related needs.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) will support people with intellectual disabilities and autism by providing more accessible and tailored healthcare services by 2028 to continue living well in the community.

People with intellectual disabilities and autism may face communication barriers when interacting with healthcare staff, while primary care providers may not always understand what they need, the task force said.

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Beyond healthcare, it recommended expanding community support and opportunities for engagement, and helping people with disabilities live with greater independence. It also proposed introducing future care planning support to help people with disabilities and their families plan ahead.

The Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in December 2025.

The five-member task force comprises Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming, Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, and Senior Parliamentary Secretaries Eric Chua, Shawn Huang and Syed Harun Alhabsyi.

Speaking at a press conference at the Enabling Village, Mr Goh said the recommendations will add on to and reinforce the Enabling Master Plan 2030.

“Ultimately, all our recommendations are about giving persons with disabilities and families assurance through life,” he said. The aim, he added, is a society where people with disabilities feel a strong sense of belonging.

IMPROVING HEALTHCARE ACCESS

The task force said it recognises there is a “smaller group of persons with intellectual disabilities and autism” who may require more time and support during polyclinic consultations because of more complex communication, behavioural or healthcare needs.

For this group, MOH will designate at least three polyclinics across Singapore by 2028 – at least one from each public healthcare cluster – that will provide enhanced support.

At these polyclinics, support will include pre-visit preparation with patients and caregivers, longer consultation time where needed, closer caregiver engagement and help to navigate appointments and follow-up care.

The teams can also help link patients and caregivers to the relevant disability services.

From 2027, MOH and SG Enable – the focal national agency for disability and inclusion – will progressively roll out a health communication passport.

The health ministry said not all people with disabilities will receive the passport in this initial phase.

“Over time, MOH and SG Enable will implement the health communication passport at more polyclinics and other suitable healthcare settings. MOH will also explore how the health communication passport can be adapted for persons with other disability types.”

This passport will have important information about how a person with an intellectual disability or autism communicates, such as their preference for verbal or written communication, or the use of visual aids, and other practical accommodations needed for a smoother healthcare experience.

“It will allow healthcare staff to better understand and support the individual and reduce the need for patients and caregivers to repeatedly explain the same information at various touchpoints,” the task force said in the report.

To support the initial roll-out, participating social service agencies will help their clients complete the health communication passport and share it with the polyclinic before an appointment.

Healthcare staff can arrange for appropriate accommodations in advance and ensure that key information is available to the attending clinicians. The health communication passport will be integrated across key touchpoints at polyclinics, including at registration and during consultation.

Mdm Rahayu said the measures mark a “significant improvement” and an important step forward, but the task force recognises that more can still be done.

“In the coming years, we’ll continue to look at what are some of the hurdles or barriers for those who are seeking healthcare in our public healthcare institutions, and also understanding what are some of the concerns in long-term care needs.

“We will also be looking at how we can address concerns relating to longer-term healthcare support and costs, and improve our healthcare system so that we can better serve the persons with disabilities and families,” she said.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Beyond healthcare, the task force recommended ways to help more people with disabilities stay connected in their communities.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and SG Enable will expand the Enabling Services Hub network to 12 places across Singapore by 2028. The current three hubs are at Tampines, Jurong West and Punggol, with the fourth coming up in Marine Parade.

These hubs offer community support for persons with disabilities and their caregivers.

“Caregivers of persons with disabilities have shared that having access to timely, trusted support would help them better sustain their caregiving role over time,” said the task force in the report.

From next year, caregivers will be able to access services at Caregiver Support Touchpoints that provide information and navigation support, training, peer support, respite care, as well as support for their physical and mental well-being.

These will be set up in phases at eight sites, including the three current Enabling Services Hubs.

To ensure people with disabilities can access the support they need, the task force proposed last month to add another 1,300 spaces at day activity centres and sheltered workshops by 2030, beyond the 1,000 additional places announced in 2024.

This brings the total number of additional spaces to 2,300 by 2030, on top of the current capacity of 3,600.

BUILDING BELONGING

The task force recommended that, from the second half of 2027, MSF and SG Enable equip the general public with the skills to interact meaningfully with people with disabilities in their daily lives.

Public education campaigns will shift their focus from awareness alone to practical skills.

The Ministry of Education will join them in deepening efforts across schools and workplaces. Students will have more opportunities to learn about disability and interact with people with disabilities, and the ministry will work with schools to provide resources for teachers.

SG Enable will also work with partners across the public, private and people sectors to enable people with disabilities to participate more fully in everyday life.

These include a partnership with Sentosa Development Corporation to make the attraction more accessible to people with disabilities, a pilot at Paya Lebar Quarter Mall and partnering with grassroots organisations to make neighbourhoods friendlier for people with disabilities.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development and Law Eric Chua said inclusion is about belonging, not only about having the right services and support.

“So instead of seeing the disability first, let us first see the person. Instead of holding back because we’re unsure what to do, what to say, let us make the effort to engage, include and understand.”

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

The task force also looked at how families can plan ahead for the changing needs of loved ones with disabilities, rather than seek support only when circumstances change.

MSF and SG Enable recommended introducing future care planning support across adult disability services from 2027. This would build on the individual transition plans already offered to students in special education, or SPED, schools.

Care planners will help people with disabilities and their caregivers understand their current and future wants and needs, and think through situations they may not have considered. They will also help families explore options and get connected to the right services so they do not have to navigate such tasks alone.

Plans can be reviewed as needs and circumstances change, MSF said. It added that it currently has no plans to charge for the service, which would be provided at service touchpoints such as day activity centres and enabling services hubs.

In response to queries by CNA, MSF said it will track reach and support, including how many families go on to complete a care plan.

“MSF will also consider whether caregivers feel more confident and supported in planning for their loved one’s future,” it said.