BIG CHANGES: St Luke’s Compbined Hospices
Cape Town - St Luke’s Combined Hospices has emphasised that while its in-patient unit in Kenilworth will be closing, services rendered to patients and their families will continue.
For 44 years, the not-for-profit company has been providing palliative care and support to terminally ill patients and their families.
This will not cease through the closure of its 10 bed in-patient unit situated in Harfield Road, with services continuing through its community-based care and several Day Hospices.
St Luke's Combined Hospices CEO, Dr Ronita Mahilall, said the aim was to provide palliative and end of life care for terminally ill patients and their families, across Cape Town through three models of care.
“The one is caring for the patient in the comfort of his or her own home by our interdisciplinary team that is made up of our doctors, nurses, social workers, spiritual and bereavement counsellors. The other model of care is to provide palliative care and end of life care in the community through our Day Hospices, and the third model of care was our inpatient unit based in Kenilworth.”
The decision to close the in-patient unit has come following observations and trends seen internationally, nationally and locally.
“And the trend we’ve noticed is, patients prefer to be cared for and to pass on in the comfort of their own homes and within the community within which they live… Parallel to that, we’ve noticed that our patient numbers in our inpatient unit have been averaging between three and five patients at any given time.
“So clearly, what we have been noticing in our trends in the community is mirrored in the trends we’re seeing in the in-patient unit because increasingly, people in the in-patient unit are preferring not to be admitted but to be cared for at home.”
The organisation provides care for an average of 630 terminally ill patients every day, and of which, between three or five are admitted to the in-patient unit.
“...The bulk of the people are being cared for where they prefer to be, which is at home and in our Day Hospices.”
At least once in three months, the organisation also arranges excursions to places such as Table Mountain.
“So we’re trying to make wishes come true as well. So we’re going to continue and intensify and accelerate our community based and home based palliative care.”
The last patient in the in-patient unit was discharged on December 18.
The in-patient unit will officially be closed on December 31 and St Luke’s Hospice will in the new year, explore options for the space to be leased.
“And that's not to say that we may not open the unit again, if the numbers demand and the need is there, then we will definitely continue because we own the facility.”
Day Hospices are situated in the West Coast, False Bay, Athlone, Grassy Park, Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha.
“St Luke’s has been an iconic hospice and it is 44 years old, change is inevitable and we are poised to bring about change to the betterment of our patients and their families and their needs because we believe that while there may be a limit to cure, there is no limit to care.”
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za
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