Expired medicine, expired food: Windsor Convalescent Home lost its licence after breaking the rules again

A nursing home in Singapore has lost its licence because it kept breaking health and safety rules, even after being warned before. Windsor Convalescent Home, located in Pasir Panjang, was found to have given residents expired medicine and used expired food to prepare their meals. The Ministry of Health (MOH) made this decision after its latest inspection in April 2025 showed that serious problems had returned. The home now has four months to move its 25 residents to other nursing homes.

The trouble at Windsor Convalescent Home did not start overnight. An audit in December 2024 had already found problems with nursing care and medication management. By April 2025, MOH said those issues seemed to be fixed, but it was still worried enough to keep the home under close monitoring. Sadly, the improvements did not last.

When MOH carried out its next audit in April 2025, many of the same problems had come back. A spokesperson for MOH said the violations were serious and widespread, pointing to major failures in keeping residents safe and preventing the spread of infection. The spokesperson also said that the home's leaders had failed to properly run and oversee the facility. These problems were described as systemic, meaning they were deeply built into how the home operated.

The list of violations was long. Staff had not properly checked on residents who were at risk of falling, developing pressure sores, or losing too much weight. They also failed to follow care plans made for individual residents, and made medication errors such as skipping doses, giving wrong amounts, and using medicines that had already expired. Basic grooming and proper nutrition for residents were also neglected.

Inspectors also found that food ingredients used to cook meals for residents had expired. The home had not put proper infection control measures in place, and hygiene standards were poor. MOH said it cannot confirm whether any residents were harmed, but it is now investigating and may take further legal action against those responsible for running the home.

To protect residents while they wait to be moved, MOH brought in a team from Vanguard Healthcare starting June 18. This team is making sure residents receive proper care and that no new residents are admitted. A social enterprise called GentleFoods, which makes soft and nutritious meals for people who have trouble swallowing, has also started providing food to the home. The home's licence will officially be cancelled on October 30, 2025.

Some families found out about the closure through the news rather than from the home itself. A 71-year-old woman named Linda said her son told her after reading about it in the media. Her 96-year-old mother has lived at the home for a year and is in a wheelchair. Linda said her mother is scared to be carried down the stairs from the second floor since there is no lift in the building.

Residents at Windsor Convalescent Home are private clients who do not receive government subsidies, and monthly fees range from about $3,500 to $5,500. Singapore has 93 nursing homes in total. Nursing homes are now regulated under the Healthcare Services Act, which took full effect in December 2023. The law requires stronger oversight, including a clinical governance officer and a committee to regularly review resident safety and care quality.