Drakenstein Palliative Hospice

www.drakensteinhospice.org.za/

In June 2004, Drakenstein Palliative Hospice achieved its first HPCA accreditation, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to quality care. This pioneering effort, led by Sue Cameron and Kath de Phillipi in collaboration with COHSASA, was a rudimentary process. Without templates or source materials to reference, we wrote all the necessary documentation from scratch.

In August 2024, we successfully completed our 6th APCC accreditation, achieving an impressive 97%. Over the years, the process has evolved significantly. Today, we undergo this accreditation process every four years. Having established comprehensive policies and procedures, we now focus on reviewing, editing, and adapting them to meet changing circumstances and needs.

Ongoing training, audits, and adherence to procedures throughout the year form the foundation of our efforts, ensuring quality and continuous improvement. While we rely on a dedicated champion to lead the accreditation process, the collective buy-in from our staff has been instrumental in our success.

Maintaining accreditation is non-negotiable for us—it is a cornerstone of our sustainability strategy. Although the process of meeting standards and gathering supporting data is time-intensive, a well-structured plan that involves as many staff members as possible helps distribute the workload and fosters engagement. The results are immensely rewarding; the staff are proud of their achievement. As NGOs explore private-public partnerships to ensure sustainability, accreditation strengthens our position by affirming our expertise in palliative care.

Accreditation is not only a mark of excellence but also a testament to the high-quality palliative care our patients deserve. We believe palliative care is a human right, ensuring individuals can approach the end of life with dignity and comfort.

We extend our gratitude to COHSASA and APCC for their continued dedication to the accreditation process. Your support empowers organizations like ours to thrive and uphold the highest standards of care.

Elizabeth Scrimgeour CEO