Centurion Hospice shuts in-patient care unit
The organisation says it will still provide out-patient and home care, as well as medical equipment rentals.
Centurion Hospice announced last week that it would halt its its in-patient care service in Lyttelton Manor from the end of July.
The difficult decision was made by the management team as the facility could no longer financially support its in-patient care unit.
“We are not halting our palliative care services, we are just not able to admit patients to our facility at Centurion Hospice,” nursing services manager Mokgadi Matlala told Rekord.
“We will still be able to do palliation of patients who need palliative services at their homes.”
She said the closure of the unit did not necessarily mean that the hospice would not be able to look after the same number of patients.
“When we have patients in the home-based care programme or the community-based care programme, those patients might still be admitted to a facility.”
“Once patients are registered with the hospice care programme, staff will visit the patient and conduct an assessment of their needs.
“We are in communication with the other mother hospices, where we have an agreement if we have someone in need of admission, then we can use their facilities depending on the need and if there is a bed available.”
Centurion Hospice provides palliative and psycho-social care in all areas of Centurion, including areas as far as Midrand, Monument Park, Olievenhoutbosch, and Pretoria West.
“We try and assist patients that come through our way, by either referring them accordingly or providing care ourselves.”
The Centurion hospice in-patient care was previously closed, but was reopened in 2020.
The management team said they don’t see the unit reopening in the foreseeable future.
“What we need to do is to stabilise the company,” said Matlala.
“Depending on what we have going forward, especially the finances, at the end of the day to run a 24-hour service like the in-patient unit, you need the resources.
“If our finances become viable, then it can be something we can look into.”
With the financial situation that the hospice faces, it says that it unfortunately was losing staff.
Palliative care admin manager, Annelize Greyling said the association of the hospice with death and the tight budget around offering a free service contributed to the funding difficulties.
“We always try to assist patients who cannot afford palliative care. But at the end of the day, the funds to provide this specialised service need to be coming from somewhere.”
Apart from the difficulties of running a charitable organisation such as the Centurion Hospice, the management team says that the sinkhole adjacent to the premises in Clifton Avenue played a major role in the financial bind the hospice is in.
In April, the hospice grappled with a series of serious sewage leaks on its property, resulting from blockages in the sewage line caused by the sinkhole.
Staff have also continued to work despite salary payment delays due to poor finances.
Greyling said the Centurion hospice was funded by donations, and income generated from its charity shop, book shop, Memory Lane coffee shop, and its catering services, which would continue to operate.
“If residents worry that a monetary donation will be used inappropriately, we welcome them to contribute in more direct ways, whether making a payment at the municipality towards our utilities bill, or paying for fuel for our vehicles – then they know exactly where their money goes,” said Greyling.
Hyla van den Berg, Centurion Hospice spokesperson and marketing manager, said the organisation would also continue its medical equipment rentals.
She said the management team was still consulting with the board of governors about what would happen to the in-patient care unit facility.
Van den Berg said the hospice also ran its Club 2000 lottery, a community lotto managed by the hospice, with quarterly draws.
“All the money we make from ticket sales of this lotto stays in the hospice.”
Residents can also assist by joining the Friends of Centurion Hospice programme, which has a small annual membership fee.
Though the hospice welcomes any donation, it asks that the items donated are still in a usable condition for resale purposes.
“It doesn’t help if the item was going to go into the bin because of its condition as it will have to be trashed once it reaches us too.”
Centurion Hospice can be contacted via admin@centurionhospice.com or 012 6646175.
To get the Centurion Hospice staff to pick up your donation during working hours for free, call 060 798 9340.
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