• Lien Foundation, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) have launched Singapore’s only paediatric facility at a community hospital, to provide continued rehabilitation and strengthen caregiver support for families of children with complex medical needs.
• Singapore's first certificate foundation course and inaugural graduate diploma course in paediatric palliative care will be introduced to train doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals.

Singapore, 4 November 2025 – The Lien Foundation, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), and SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) today launched Cocoon, a programme designed to enhance the quality of life for young patients with chronic, complex medical conditions and their families.

Supported by S$4.7 million in funding from Lien Foundation, Cocoon establishes Singapore’s only paediatric facility at a community hospital at SCH’s Sengkang Community Hospital, to ensure continuity of care beyond KKH’s acute setting. The initiative also builds paediatric palliative care expertise through the introduction of two structured training courses – a national first – aimed at cultivating a skilled network of local practitioners. Over its four-year duration, Cocoon is expected to benefit more than 240 pediatric patients.

Paediatric Palliative Care

Palliative care for children is the active total care of the child’s body, mind, and spirit, and involves supporting the family. It begins when illness is diagnosed and continues regardless of whether or not the child receives curative treatment. This care starts far before end-of-life situations, for children with life-limiting diseases, with the goal of reducing pain and symptoms, improving comfort and enhancing quality of life through a holistic, family-centered approach.

Long-Term Needs of Children with Complex Conditions

A large proportion of children who could benefit from palliative care are those with chronic, complex conditions. Two of the largest groups are those with severe neurological impairment (SNI) and complex medical conditions (CMC). KKH currently cares for about 100 and 120 patients from each group annually.

Cocoon supports children with SNI, such as cerebral palsy or acquired brain injuries, and those with CMC who have high care needs and often rely on medical technology such as home ventilation or tube feeding. These children struggle with serious symptoms such as chronic pain, severe immobility, and developmental challenges. Their conditions require specialised round-the-clock care, deeply affecting the whole family’s quality of life.

While many children with SNI or CMC have underlying genetic disorders that are diagnosed before age two, advances in medical care allow many of them to live well into their teens and even adulthood. As these children often require long-term palliative and supportive care that may span decades, their families bear a profound emotional and physical burden, often experiencing burnout and stress – underscoring the need for sustained caregiver support.

Despite this, few facilities in Singapore are equipped to provide such specialised long-term paediatric care. As a result, children often stay in acute hospitals like KKH for extended periods of four to eight weeks. These prolonged stays increase their risk of hospital-acquired infections, which can be especially dangerous for medically fragile children, leading to complications, delayed recovery and added stress for families. Allowing these children to receive continuity of care in a rehabilitative environment helps in their recovery while KKH cares for other patients who require acute management.

Continuity of Care in the Community

Set up with training and support from KKH, SCH’s first dedicated paediatric facility is located at Sengkang Community Hospital. The facility will offer a total of eight beds by 2026 for children up to 16 years old referred from KKH. With average stays of up to four weeks, the pilot service extends beyond medical and nursing care to include rehabilitation, caregiver training, psychosocial support, and CHAMPS therapies¹.

Trained in paediatric palliative care, SCH’s multidisciplinary team comprises doctors, nurses, therapists, and allied health professionals. With Cocoon, the SCH team can actively work with various KKH paediatric specialists to ensure a holistic approach to provide continuity of care to aid recovery – a level of coordination that would otherwise be difficult to sustain outside in the community.

SCH’s care model is tailored to each child’s complex needs and developmental and rehabilitative goals. In the community hospital, gentle, well-paced therapy sessions help children regain strength and a sense of normalcy, while volunteer-led activities such as painting, origami, and storytelling encourage play, creativity, and social interaction – transforming the clinical space into a warm, welcoming environment that feels more like home.

In addition, SCH provides care that offers caregivers the time to rest and recharge from their demanding duties, along with hands-on training to refresh their skills and confidence in caring for their child before returning home. Lien Foundation has committed S$500,000 to help families overcome financial barriers to access such caregiver support.

“At SCH, our mission has always been to help patients regain strength and confidence before returning home. With Cocoon, we extend this philosophy to children with complex medical needs – offering continued care, rehabilitation, and the support families need during a challenging journey. Just as a cocoon shelters and allows transformation, our facility offers children and their families the space, time, and care they need to rebuild strength, regain hope, and prepare for life beyond the hospital,” said Dr Xu Bangyu, Medical Director, Sengkang Community Hospital.

"Caring for a child with medical complexity can be physically and emotionally challenging for caregivers. The dedicated paediatric facility in Sengkang Community Hospital (SKCH) is transformative for our patients and their families as the services focus on comfort, individualised rehabilitation, and an improved quality of life, empowering caregivers to continue caring for their children confidently in the community. The collaborative partnership between KKH and SKCH ensures seamless continuity of care from the acute hospital to community hospital setting, ensuring that patients are provided with a smooth and supportive journey through recovery or stabilisation," said Dr Cristelle Chow, Senior Consultant, General Paediatrics Service (Complex and Home Care Services), KKH.

Building Paediatric Palliative Care Capability

Paediatric palliative care is intended for all families and children with life-limiting conditions and  have needs. It differs from adult palliative care as it caters to the child’s evolving physical, emotional, and developmental needs, and supports families in making challenging medical decisions.

Existing courses focus on adult care, with no specialised training for paediatric professionals. KKH and its partners are developing the first structured training programmes tailored to paediatrics, reflecting the growing commitment in delivering the best possible support throughout the child’s illness.  

• Certificate Course for Paediatric & Perinatal Palliative Care
  This three-day foundation course is developed and conducted by KKH, accredited by SingHealth Academy. It focuses on the principles and practice of generalist paediatric palliative care, including holistic care, family support, and navigating conversations around serious illness, dying and death. Since its launch in January 2025, all sessions have been over-subscribed. To-date, it has trained 55 doctors, nurses and allied health professionals across hospital and community settings, including those in neurology, oncology, midwifery, complex care and surgery. The fully subsidised course is aimed at training approximately 60 professionals a year. 
• Graduate Diploma in Paediatric & Perinatal Palliative Care
  A two-year Graduate Diploma developed by KKH, National University Hospital (NUH) and HCA Hospice, will be launched for multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals seeking advanced training. The programme combines structured coursework with clinical attachments, offering comprehensive training for higher level practice. It will be conducted at the National University of Singapore’s Division of Graduate Medical Studies. To be launched in 2026, each cohort will train 20 healthcare professionals. 

“To prevent and alleviate suffering in children is not just a duty but a moral imperative. Cocoon exists to ease the journey for young lives affected by serious illness, offering comfort, care and rehabilitation. It is a sanctuary where families, worn by the weight of constant caregiving, find solace, understanding, and hope. We are committed to nurture the field of paediatric palliative care, and to hold space for the most vulnerable with expertise, presence and a heart attuned to their needs,” said Mr Lee Poh Wah, Chief Executive Officer, Lien Foundation.

¹CHAMPS is KKH’s Child Life, Art and Music Therapy Programmes. Child Life Therapy helps children and families to navigate challenging experiences. This approach focuses on therapeutic and expressive play, aiming to build coping and emotional resilience.