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environment. When you have that, you are
able to steer the ship according to how the
external environment is changing.
A successful chairperson is someone
who can strike a balance between looking
inwards and being aware of the external
environment,” Tien Yin says. He adds that
a leadership team is only as good as its
members. “You also need a strong, supportive
leadership team. That is my number one tip
for new CEOs, because an effective, diverse
and productive team will help you move
along and bring up issues along the way.”
Tien Yin says any CEO or chairperson
needs to have clarity on what their role does,
and does not, entail. “They should always
focus on areas they are responsible for. And
they should always know when something
does not need to be done by the CEO
or chairperson. It is important to delegate
and then refrain from micromanaging the
delegated work. Something like external
engagement or fiscal decisions, that is the
CEO’s job or the chair’s. They shouldn’t
be letting other people take responsibility
for that. On the other hand, they certainly
shouldn’t be wasting their time on something
someone else can do.”
THE VALUE OF AUDITING
Another distinctive feature of SNEC is its
extensive auditing of every one of the 15,000
cataract operations it does each year. The
process has allowed the centre to compile
comprehensive data about these operations
and to conduct exhaustive quality assurance
checks. It has also proven highly beneficial
for the training of young doctors, especially
as they start in the field.
SNEC has a specialist Clinical Audit
Department which comprises of 10 people.
This group is tasked with overseeing all
clinical governance activities at SNEC and
its branches and affiliates. It scrutinises more
than 10,000 case notes annually, with
reference to more than 30 indicators.
Tien Yin says clinical auditing is now an
established part of SNEC’s operation, but
there was initially a lot of scepticism about it.
“When we started that process, people were
very afraid. In fact, a lot of our senior doctors
“ EVEN NOW, ALL
THIS TIME LATER,
I’M LEARNING EVERY
DAY. WHENEVER
I SEE A PATIENT, I’M
STILL LEARNING.”
were saying, ‘Why are you auditing me, are you suspicious
of me?’ or ‘Why are you checking up on us? We’re not
school children’, and so forth.
“However, over time, when we started receiving the
data and seeing where the issues actually were, it became
an obviously important part of ensuring high standards.
It facilitated us to continue increasing the quality of our
surgical work. It improved the outcomes and lowered risks.
Now, the senior doctors have completely bought into the
concept and the junior doctors just see it as part and parcel
of working at SNEC.”THE FUTURE
Changing patterns of eye disease will create new priorities
and test the capabilities of eye facilities in new ways. In
the 27 years since SNEC was founded, the Singaporean
population has almost doubled, and has brought with it
an ageing population and an increase in chronic and
degenerative eye conditions.
“These problems will not be simple to solve,” Tien Yin
admits. “It won’t be a matter of addressing these issues with
a simple surgery; they will likely require multidisciplinary
care, a longer follow-up for each phase and, in a lot of cases,
lifelong check-ups.”
Tien Yin says the centre wants to move away from its
current focus on its headquarters at Hospital Avenue and
place more of its resources into primary and community-INNOVATE | Interview