Everything You Need to Know about SASH

- Swab and Send Home Singapore

 
Swab and Send Home (SASH) Singapore.png
 
 

What is the Swab and Send Home (SASH) Programme?

The SASH programme is an initiative by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to ensure active case-finding to fight against COVID-19 effectively.   

Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) that have signed up for the SASH programme can provide swab tests to patients with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 infection. The patients are then sent home to wait for the test results. 

 

Why is SASH important?

Before April 2020, all swab tests for COVID-19 were done at hospitals and the National Centre for Infectious Disease (NCID). Those patients who required testing had to wait for ambulances to convey them to testing facilities.  

At the same time, the list of people who would be actively tested for COVID-19 had been expanded to include all patients aged 13 and up who have acute respiratory symptoms. Testing facilities were thus stretched.

SASH is important in providing patients with the convenience of having immediate testing timely on the first presentation. While it helps to reduce crowds at hospitals, it also helps to strengthen active case-finding in the community, which is vital in fighting against COVID-19. 

 

Why should clinics sign up for the SASH programme?

Patients appreciate the convenience of having access to immediate testing at your clinic that is nearer to their home as opposed to traveling to specific testing facilities.  

Any essential and frontline much about the additional workload. With the MOH Patient Risk Profile Portal (PRPP) and automated patient notification via SMS, the whole process is streamlined and efficient.

In addition, your own doctors and staff who fall sick with respiratory symptoms can have immediate access to testing.    

You don’t have to worry much about the additional workload. With the MOH Patient Risk Profile Portal (PRPP) and automated patient notification via SMS, the whole process is streamlined and efficient.

MOH also provides a fair remuneration and strong support for clinics providing SASH. Read more on the resources you can get here. 

 

How to sign up for SASH?

To sign up for SASH, your clinic needs to be one of the Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs), which provide subsidized treatment and medication during public health outbreaks.

You need to undergo a process of enrolment to apply to join the PHPC scheme. Your clinic will be taught about the importance of infection control, the appropriate care protocols according to the assessed risk and diagnosis of each patient, and the proper use of necessary personal protective equipment that will be supplied by MOH.  

Read more on PHPC and how to apply to join the PHPC scheme. 

Should your clinic be ready, you can email gp@aic.sg to sign up for the SASH programme. 

 

How to prepare for SASH?

To conduct swab tests in your clinic, you need a suitable area that has good ventilation, patient privacy, and is easy to clean. 

You also need to staff your clinic appropriately to adapt to the new workflow.  

Upon joining the SASH programme, you should provide the information on your website, social media platforms, and other channels so that patients are aware of the options they have. Your clinic will also appear in the list here.

 

Be a part of the SASH initiative with UNO CMS 

Manage SASH appointment, check patient vaccination history, and seamlessly track patient records with UNO CMS -

  • Queue and appointment management 

  • COVID-19 declaration form 

  • NIR vaccination records 

  • Complete patient EMR