Stepping Stone Hospice achieves gold standard in healthcare quality

Stepping Stone Hospice & Care Services has reached an extraordinary milestone that places them among the most elite healthcare facilities in South Africa.

On August 15, the Alberton-based NPO was awarded the prestigious COHSASA accreditation, valid through to August 2028. This is a remarkable achievement that positions them as leaders in palliative care excellence.

This ground-breaking accomplishment makes Stepping Stone the only facility of its kind in Gauteng province to hold both COHSASA accreditation and five-star APCC (Association of Palliative Care Centres) accreditation simultaneously.

This is a testament to their unwavering commitment to providing world-class palliative care to both adults and children.

Gold standard recognition

COHSASA accreditation represents the gold standard in healthcare quality across Africa.

“COHSASA has been developing healthcare facility accreditation standards for 30 years, with standards developed with working clinicians and key stakeholders, designed to improve and maintain healthcare quality across Africa. The rigorous assessment covers about 10 service elements in which standards define systems required to enable facilities to provide quality care,” said Tersia Burger, Stepping Stone Hospice founder and CEO.

What makes this achievement even more significant is that COHSASA accreditation means healthcare organisations have entered a rigorous quality improvement programme and have been assessed against, and comply with, standards recognised by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), the global body overseeing accreditation.

Since opening their adult unit in New Market Park in 2013, Stepping Stone Hospice has assisted over 4,000 patients while providing grief counselling to close to 40,000 bereaved family members.

Their revolutionary paediatric unit, Stepping Stone Hospice Children’s Unit in Raceview, opened just over a year ago and stands as only the fifth registered paediatric palliative care facility in South Africa.

Tersia reflected on this monumental achievement, “Receiving COHSASA accreditation alongside our five-star APCC rating is validation of our team’s relentless dedication to excellence.”

“Every member of our staff, from our registered, accredited nurses specially trained in palliative care to our compassionate volunteers, has contributed to this recognition. Our commitment remains unchanged: we will never deny a child or adult care due to lack of funds, and we will continue to provide the highest quality palliative care with boundless compassion,” she explained.

The significance of this achievement has not gone unnoticed by industry leaders.

Warren Oxford-Huggett, accreditation manager for APCC, offered his congratulations: “Your first accreditation by COHSASA is a wonderful achievement and can serve as an example to many. This is a wonderful recognition of the amount and intensity of the effort that has been applied and the success that comes from it. This level of achievement is a strong indication that your patients and their families can expect and experience quality palliative care at Stepping Stone Palliative Care Services.”

Beacon of hope

Their in-patient unit and home-based care services reach more than 150 patients monthly, caring for individuals with conditions including HIV, cancer, renal failure, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This COHSASA accreditation, valid through 2028, positions them as a model for palliative care excellence not just locally, but across the African continent.

“As an NPO that relies heavily on community donations while maintaining the highest standards, our achievement demonstrates what’s possible when professional excellence meets boundless compassion. We’re the only COHSASA and APCC-accredited palliative care center,” she explained.

For families facing life-limiting illnesses, Stepping Stone now stands certified as a beacon of hope – a place where clinical expertise, dignity, and love converge to provide the highest quality palliative care when it matters most.
For more information about their services, contact Stepping Stone Hospice on 010 442 5059 or email: fundraising@steppingstonehospice.co.za