MOH to revoke licence of LC Nursing Home in Siglap after finding lapses in care and safety

MOH to revoke licence of LC Nursing Home in Siglap after finding lapses in care and safety The Health Ministry found serious lapses at LC Nursing Home, including staff members administering medication without suitable credentials. SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) will revoke the licence of LC Nursing Home in Siglap following findings of “serious and systemic” lapses in care and safety, in the second such case involving a nursing home this month. The revocation will take effect from Nov 23, 2026, giving time for the home’s 78 residents to be transferred to other facilities. To safeguard residents in the interim, the ministry said on Monday (Jun 29) that it has deployed a care team to LC Nursing Home to ensure proper care during the transition period. LC Nursing Home currently holds a licence to operate a 93-bed facility at Jalan Ulu Siglap. The decision follows a series of audits that uncovered persistent non-compliance with requirements under the Healthcare Services Act. Audits conducted in November and December 2025 had already identified serious lapses. "LC Nursing Home was then given the opportunity to remediate these non-compliances, with MOH enforcing stricter and closer monitoring before assessing if further regulatory action was necessary," the ministry said. However, a further audit in April 2026 found that the nursing home had failed to fully implement corrective measures or sustain earlier improvements. Investigators also uncovered new and repeated breaches. Lapses found include: Inadequate clinical and nursing care - Failure to conduct appropriate reviews or monitoring for residents in multiple aspects including falls, restraint practices and pressure injuries; - Failure to adhere to wound care protocols; and - Poor medication management such as presence of poorly maintained medication stock, medication errors, and administration of medication by care staff without suitable credentials. Failure to provide adequate basic care to residents - Failure to adhere to food hygiene practices and implement safe food processes with regard to meal preparation for residents. Inadequate infection prevention and control practices - Failure to implement infection prevention and control measures; and - Failure to ensure environmental hygiene, and suboptimal pest control. Failure to ensure a safe environment - Poorly maintained infrastructure and environment, with multiple hazards posing injury risks to both residents and staff. The ministry said it had issued a notice of intended revocation on Jun 2 and gave the operator 14 days to respond. In its reply, LC Nursing Home acknowledged the findings and did not dispute the non-compliances. "While LC Nursing Home assured MOH that they would take remedial actions to address the findings, the plan provided by LC Nursing Home was very brief, without clear milestones set, and did not provide sufficient assurance," the ministry said. After reviewing the response and audit findings, MOH concluded that the operator was unable to continue providing nursing home services safely. MOH said it is working to ensure that affected residents are transferred to suitable alternative homes ahead of the November deadline. The interim care team from Vanguard Healthcare deployed to LC Nursing Home from Jun 29 will ensure residents are properly cared for, before the residents are transferred to other nursing homes. MOH said it will continue to work closely with LC Nursing Home and Vanguard Healthcare to monitor and ensure the safe and smooth transfer of the residents to other nursing homes. Vanguard Healthcare and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) will inform all affected residents and their next-of-kin of the revocation of LC Nursing Home’s licence, and prioritise arrangements for the residents to be transferred to other nursing homes. The audit of LC Nursing Home was part of MOH’s audit of selected nursing homes with identified areas of improvement to gauge compliance with infection and prevention control practices, and basic custodial and nursing care. MOH said it will not hesitate to take regulatory actions if licensees or key appointment holders are found to have fallen short of regulatory requirements to deliver safe, adequate and appropriate care. “The regulatory action taken on LC Nursing Home follows similar action taken against Windsor Convalescent Home, after an MOH audit found serious and systemic lapses in Windsor Convalescent Home’s compliance with HCSA,” it added. Windsor Convalescent Home’s licence to provide nursing home services will be revoked with effect from Oct 30. Earlier this month, MOH issued a licence revocation for the 45-bed nursing home in Pasir Panjang. This came after an April audit found lapses in care at Windsor Convalescent Home, including poor medication management and a failure to provide adequate basic care to the home’s residents. MOH previously told CNA it conducts “routine audits” to ensure nursing homes’ continued compliance with regulatory requirements. “MOH may also carry out off-cycle audits where necessary,” said the spokesperson. “All nursing homes would be audited periodically to ensure continued compliance with the Healthcare Services Act 2020.” “MOH takes a serious view of the lapses found in these two nursing homes. The decision to revoke both nursing homes’ licences was taken only after careful assessment that they could not provide adequate nursing home services, and that resident well-being and safety had to be prioritised and safeguarded,” said the ministry. MOH added that it will work closely with Vanguard Healthcare to ensure no new residents are admitted in the interim period before the respective licence revocation dates of Windsor Convalescent Home and LC Nursing Home. The ministry also intends to share the findings of its audit with the sector at a suitable platform and work with AIC to enhance support available for the sector. This includes training to equip the sector with the necessary skillsets to adhere to the required standards of care. “Licensees are reminded to comply with the HCSA, the applicable regulations, and conditions of their licences at all times. MOH will continue to monitor all nursing homes to ensure compliance with HCSA requirements.”