Review

The development of hospital-based palliative care services in public hospitals in the Western Cape, South Africa

L Gwyther, R Krause, C Cupido, J Stanford, H Grey, T Credé, A de Vos, J Arendse, P Raubenheimer

Abstract


With the recent approval of a South African (SA) National Policy Framework and Strategy for Palliative Care by the National Health Council, it is pertinent to reflect on initiatives to develop palliative care services in public hospitals. This article reviews the development of hospital-based palliative care services in the Western Cape, SA. Palliative care services in SA started in the non-governmental sector in the 1980s. The first SA hospital-based palliative care team was established in Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital in 2001. The awareness of the benefit of palliative care in the hospital setting led to the development of isolated pockets of excellence providing palliative care in the public health sector in SA. This article describes models for palliative care at tertiary, provincial and district hospital level, which could inform development of hospital-based palliative care as the national policy for palliative care is implemented in SA.


Authors' affiliations

L Gwyther, Palliative Medicine, Division of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, and Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa

R Krause, Palliative Medicine, Division of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

C Cupido, Division of General Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, and Victoria Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

J Stanford, Knysna-Sedgefield Hospice, Knysna, South Africa

H Grey, Knysna-Sedgefield Hospice, Knysna, South Africa

T Credé, Division of General Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, and Mitchell’s Plain Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

A de Vos, Social Work Services, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

J Arendse, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

P Raubenheimer, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

Full Text

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Keywords

Palliative care; Integration; Hospital service; Western Cape

Cite this article

South African Medical Journal 2018;108(2):86-89. DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2018.v108i2.12524

Article History

Date submitted: 2018-02-01
Date published: 2018-02-01

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