Singapore’s population is ageing, and many families want their parents to stay at home for as long as possible. That makes home care one of the more meaningful sectors to enter. But if you want to start a home care business in Singapore, you are entering a regulated healthcare space, not just a service business. The licensing questions come first, and they shape everything from your service menu to who you hire.
This guide is written for founders and operators. It covers how to work out whether you need a Ministry of Health (MOH) licence, how to recruit and manage care staff, and how the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) fits into the wider eldercare system. It is general information, not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with MOH, MOM and AIC before you commit money.
Decide What Kind of Home Care You Will Offer
“Home care” covers a wide range of services, and the regulatory treatment depends heavily on what you actually do in a client’s home. Before registering anything, write down your intended services in plain detail.
Common service types include:
- Home nursing. Wound care, tube feeding, catheter care, injections and other tasks done by registered or enrolled nurses.
- Home medical care. Doctor home visits and medical reviews for homebound patients.
- Home therapy. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy delivered at home.
- Home personal care. Help with bathing, dressing, toileting, feeding and mobility by trained care staff.
- Social and companionship support. Escorting seniors to appointments, light housekeeping, conversation and supervision.
The more clinical your services, the more clearly they fall into licensed healthcare territory. Even “non-medical” personal care can overlap with regulated activities depending on the tasks involved, so do not assume. Map each service against MOH’s definitions first.
Licensing Under the Healthcare Services Act (HCSA)
Healthcare services in Singapore are licensed by MOH under the Healthcare Services Act, commonly called the HCSA. The HCSA replaced the older licensing framework and moved to licensing by service rather than by premises. Home-based healthcare services are among the services covered by this framework.
What this means for a new founder:
- Check whether your services are licensable. MOH’s HCSA website sets out the licensable healthcare services and their definitions. Compare your service list against them line by line.
- Expect requirements on governance and people. Licensed services typically need named key roles, such as a person responsible for clinical governance, plus documented policies and staff with the right professional registrations.
- Expect standards and inspections. Licensees must meet regulations and any service-specific requirements, which can cover areas like patient safety, record keeping, infection control and complaints handling.
- Apply before you operate. Do not start delivering a licensable service while an application is pending.
Fees, processing times and the exact documents required can change, so we will not list them. Read the current guidance on MOH’s HCSA portal, and consider speaking to a healthcare regulatory consultant or lawyer if your model is unusual, for example if you combine nursing, therapy and personal care under one brand.
You will also need the usual business basics. Register your entity with ACRA, Singapore’s company registrar, through Bizfile. Set up Corppass, the corporate digital identity used to transact with government agencies, and register for GST with IRAS if and when you meet the requirements. Our guide on how to start a business in Singapore walks through those steps.
Hiring Caregivers, Nurses and Therapists
Your staff are your product. Families are letting your team into their homes and trusting them with vulnerable relatives, so hiring and supervision need to be rigorous.
Key points to plan for:
- Professional registration. Nurses must be registered or enrolled with the Singapore Nursing Board (SNB), therapists with the Allied Health Professions Council, and doctors with the Singapore Medical Council. Verify registration yourself rather than relying on a CV.
- Care staff training. For personal care roles, look for recognised eldercare or caregiving training. AIC and other training providers run courses for care staff, and refresher training should be part of your operations.
- Foreign hires. If you plan to hire foreign nurses or care workers, the work pass type, quotas and levies are set by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Foreign nurses also need SNB registration. Check MOM’s current rules before making offers.
- Background checks and references. Build a consistent screening process and record it.
- Scheduling and travel. Home care involves travel between clients, which affects pay structures, rostering and how many visits each staff member can realistically do in a day.
- Supervision. Plan how clinical supervisors will check on field staff, review care notes and handle escalations.
People who want a sense of what the work involves day to day may find our piece on careers in eldercare and community care useful when designing job roles and career paths.
Working With AIC and the Wider Eldercare System
The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) coordinates much of Singapore’s community care sector, including home care, day care and caregiver support. For a new operator, understanding AIC matters for several reasons:
- Referrals and assessments. Hospitals and AIC help families navigate care options, and many families first hear about home care through these channels.
- Funding and subsidies. Some home care services are provided by organisations that receive government funding, which allows eligible clients to pay subsidised rates. Being a funded provider usually involves meeting specific criteria and agreements. Check AIC’s website for current arrangements and how providers participate.
- Training and capability building. AIC offers programmes and resources for community care organisations and their staff.
- Sector networks. Joining sector events and networks helps you understand gaps in service coverage across different neighbourhoods.
Many private operators start as purely fee-paying providers and explore partnerships later, once their governance and track record are established. Families comparing options will also look at alternatives such as eldercare day centres and respite care, so be clear about where home care fits and when you would refer a client elsewhere.
Setting Up Operations: A Practical Comparison
Different service lines carry very different operating demands. This table summarises the main contrasts to help you decide where to start.
| Service line | Typical staff | Regulatory weight | Key operational challenge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home nursing | Registered and enrolled nurses | High, check HCSA licensing | Recruiting and retaining nurses |
| Home therapy | Physiotherapists, occupational therapists | High, check HCSA licensing | Scheduling visits efficiently |
| Home personal care | Trained care staff | Varies with the tasks done | Consistent quality across many carers |
| Companionship and escort | Trained care staff, volunteers | Lower, but confirm with MOH | Pricing sustainably for short visits |
Beyond the service line, build these operating essentials early:
- Client contracts. A clear agreement on services, visit times, cancellation terms, fees and complaints. A service agreement template reviewed by a lawyer is a good starting point.
- Care records. A secure system for assessments, care plans and visit notes. Personal data must be handled in line with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
- Insurance. Discuss professional indemnity, public liability and work injury compensation insurance with a broker who understands healthcare.
- Incident handling. Written procedures for falls, medication errors, abuse concerns and emergencies, with staff trained to follow them.
Pricing, Marketing and Growing Responsibly
Price your services around real costs: staff time including travel, supervision, training, insurance, software and administration. Avoid underpricing to win early clients, because care quality suffers when margins are too thin to pay and keep good staff.
For marketing, families respond to trust signals more than slogans. Explain your licensing status honestly, show how staff are trained and supervised, and make it easy to speak to a care coordinator before signing up. Be careful with health claims in advertising and follow MOH’s guidance on publicity for healthcare services.
Grow in stages. Start with a narrow service area and a small, well-supervised team, then add neighbourhoods and service lines once your systems hold up. In home care, a reputation for reliability spreads by word of mouth, and so does a single bad incident.
Explore more: how to start a business in Singapore and careers in eldercare and community care.
Official sources: Ministry of Health (MOH)