No hospital is an island – emerging new roles of the acute general hospital in the Singapore healthcare ecosystem

General hospitals in Singapore are undergoing a process of transformation, from being siloed providers of acute care, into vital hubs of a regional health system that integrates community and hospital-based care to meet the health and social needs of the population. Collaborations between the acute hospitals and other community providers, such as primary care and nursing homes, have been strengthened through clinical leadership supported by government policies that enable the sharing of key hospital clinical resources throughout the community. These collaborations have enabled better use of hospital resources while strengthening the capabilities of regional healthcare providers. Successful collaborations are propagated through the use of an intermediary enabling national agency. This paper outlines the journey that has been undertaken thus far and provides a few examples of how acute hospitals have begun to refocus their attention towards a new paradigm of care. The initial experiences and key lessons will be useful in the planning of a new 'greenfield' hospital campus designed from the 'ground up' which will embody these key principles of the hospital of the future.