Five ways Singapore is prioritising national mental health and wellbeing

The Ministry of Health has shared that through the National Mental Health Office, established in 2024, it is coordinating multi-agency efforts to strengthen mental health outcomes, improve access to appropriate care, and raise national literacy and attitudes towards mental health conditions.

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) has made continuous efforts over the years to improve the state of mental health in its citizens.

From the National Mental Health Blueprint (NMHBP) that was formulated in 2007 to reinforce mental wellbeing and resilience in Singapore, to the COVID-19 Mental Wellness Taskforce (CoMWT), which was set up to investigate how the pandemic had impacted the mental health of Singapore's population and to identify areas for improvement, Singapore continues to strive to address societal driving forces, raise awareness of the importance of mental health and wellbeing and build mental resilience and coping abilities in its population.

A recent parliamentary query looked into updates on the implementation of key initiatives under the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which aims to improve the mental health ecosystem where people with mental health needs can seek help without stigma and are readily supported for their recovery, and whether the Government has plans to assess if the current strategy is on track to achieve its intended outcomes. 

Responding to the query, the Ministry shared that since the launch of the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy in 2023, five key initiatives have been rolled out: 

1.  Mental health service providers have been guided to operate based on the Tiered Care Model, which will allow clients to receive care at the most appropriate care setting to better meet their needs.
   1. In addition, mental health assessments and referral pathways have been standardised to improve care coordinationa cross different providers.
2. The capacity of mental health services has been expanded across the acute, primary, community and long-term care sectors.
   1. The First Stop for Mental Health services, such as the national mindline 1771 was also established in 2025 to help people navigate and access services much more easily.
3. The Ministry is also progressively building the capabilities of community service providers through the National Mental Health Competency Training Framework. 
   1. Further, over 160,000 frontline personnel and volunteers have been trained to identify individuals in mental distress and guide them to get necessary support.
4. Mental health and wellbeing has been promoted through education efforts, including Parenting for Wellness to empower parents with knowledge and skills to support their children’s mental health needs, and the Positive Use Guide which offers practical tips to the public to use technology and social media in a healthy and balanced way.
5. The Ministry of Manpower has worked with the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council to implement initiatives that build employers’ competencies in supporting employees’ mental heath and wellbeing.
   1. In addition, the WSH Council launched the Handbook on Supporting Employees' Mental Health last year. Meanwhile, the Wellbeing Champions Network has grown from 54 founding member organisations to 800 since 2023.

MOH added that as part of the strategy, the National Mental Health Office was established in 2024 to coordinate and oversee these multi-agency mental health initiatives. 

This includes setting and tracking population-level and programme-specific indicators which broadly cover mental health outcomes, accessibility to appropriate care, mental health literacy, and attitudes towards individuals with mental health conditions.

"The performance and targets are regularly reviewed," The Ministry added. 

National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2023)

The National Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy was established against the backdrop of the prevalent mental health disorders that have been rising over the years.

It also serves as a guide for stakeholders and service providers to contribute to achieving our desired mental health goals for Singapore.

The strategy covers four focus areas to support and improve mental health and wellbeing of Singapore's population: 

• Expanding the capacity of mental health services
• Enhancing capabilities of service providers for early identification and intervention
• Promoting mental health and wellbeing
• Improving workplace mental health and wellbeing