Merry Christmas!

Spreading of Christmas Cheer

Thank you for bringing the joyous spirit of Christmas to our patients, staff, and visitors. In view of the multi-racial & religious environment that we operate in, please take note of the following during the carolling session:

J Please restrict the number of carollers in the group to no more than 10 people. Only carollers aged 16 and above are allowed in the wards.

J Do not report for carolling if your body temperature is above 37.5°C, or if you do not feel well. Also, please inform your group leader and organisation.

J Should the hospital be on orange alert in the event of a fresh outbreak of H1N1 or any other infectious diseases, we may cancel all performances at short notice. The team leader will be notified and he/she should inform the rest of the members. We seek your kind understanding on this matter.

J Perform within the work areas assigned to you. Do not cross between wards or departments areas. Also, do not perform any carolling near High Dependency wards, Intensive Care Units (ICUs) or isolation rooms.

J Please avoid shaking hands with the patients in order to prevent possible cross infection. If you have touched patients, please practice good hygiene and wash your hands thoroughly when entering and/or leaving the hospital grounds.

J Please do not post photos of our patients & staff on Facebook or on any other forms of social media so as to respect patients’ confidentiality and personal privacy. However, you are welcome to snap photos of your own group performing the carolling activities. Please do email us a couple of photos for our own archives if possible.

J Please avoid performing nativity scenes or other religious dramas/plays during the carolling session.

J Please do not pray/evangelise at our patients’ bedsides, or to our visitors & staff

J Contemporary Christmas carols are preferred. Avoid songs with extensively religious undertones. You may play musical instruments, but do keep the volume down to a reasonable level.

J Greeting cards are welcome. However, the distribution of religious flyers, postcards & notices is greatly discouraged.

J If you wish to give presents to our patients, please note that we have an average of 80 – 100 patients per ward.

The following items may be presented:

· Packet dried food/biscuits

· Toiletries such as brush, toothpaste, towels etc.

· No home-cooked food

MEETING POINT

J Please arrange for all your carollers to meet at Bengawan Solo @ Block 7. Once all your members have arrived, the Team Leader should submit the names to the Counter Staff. Please do not register individually as the name list is sufficient to gain entry into the wards. The staff will also provide stickers which the carollers should paste on their attire. This is for ease of identification.

J For safekeeping, please place your bags at the Nurse Manager’s Room/Tea Room at your assigned areas. We request that no valuables be brought to the hospital as the hospital will not be responsible should any valuables be misplaced and/or lost. Also, please turn all hand phones and other electronic devices to silent mode when you are at the wards.

Thank you for bringing the Christmas spirit and cheer to our patients, visitors, and staff in Singapore General Hospital. We wish you and your members a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and look forward to seeing you again next year!