What can hospice do for you?

Msunduzi Hospice provides Home Based Care in the greater Msunduzi Municipality.

Some Medical Aids pay for the services provided to their members, some patients pay for themselves, and some patients are subsidised by Msunduzi Hospice.

Our care is provided by members of an Interdisciplinary Team made up of nurses, social workers, memory workers, and care givers. Volunteer doctors provide input at team meetings. Occasional volunteer physiotherapists and complimentary therapists are available to provide insight into patient needs.

Our care is limited by the available resources and because of this, prospective patients are screened against a set of criteria as detailed below:

• Confirmed diagnosis of an advanced incurable disease (life threatening illness);
• The prospective patient should have a poor prognosis;
• The patient must give consent to be referred to Msunduzi Hospice;

The following diagnostic tests will support the admission process:

• For HIV patients, a CD4 count, and viral load is required;
• For TB patients, a recent sputum result confirming diagnosis;
• For cancer patients, a referral letter and/or a Hospice medical form indicating stage of illness and prognosis from your oncologist;
• For any other end stage, life threatening illness, a referral letter and/or Hospice medical form indicating stage of illness and prognosis from your doctor;
• Children are admitted on the same criteria as listed above;

What happens next?

• Once the patient has given permission (consent) to be referred to Hospice, the person making the referral will send a letter and/or the Hospice medical form to Msunduzi Hospice. (The patient themselves, or a close family member can also make this referral.)
• The prospective patient will then be screened by a member of the care team to determine if the patient will benefit from the services provided by Msunduzi Hospice and if they meet our criteria;
• If this is the case an initial assessment (first assessment) is completed by a nurse and a care plan is drawn up in consultation with the patient, the patient’s family, (and anyone else who may have an input into the care of the patient;
• This care plan is then implemented (revised as necessary);

Please contact our offices for more information.

Also available from Msunduzi Hospice is a range of workshops. For more information on available workshops and courses please follow our Facebook page where details are made available from time to time.