Although all hospices are individually “owned” and operated, many choose to affiliate with the Association of Palliative Care Centres (APCC) and become member hospices.
Helderberg Hospice is a proud five-star member hospice of the association.
Aside from its role in advocating for quality hospice and palliative care in South Africa, the APCC is the only organisation in South Africa that has developed Standards for Palliative Healthcare Services. The APCC Standards for Palliative Healthcare Services are accredited by the Council for Health Services Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA). Helderberg Hospice, having undergone the COHSASA accreditation for six consecutive cycles, is proud to once again retain its full accreditation status for a further four years.
The first APCC standards were released in 1998. These standards focused on clinical care. It was soon realised that it was difficult to implement clinical standards in an organisation that did not comply with overarching organisational standards. The first comprehensive APCC standards, including organisational standards, were released in 2005 followed by a second (2010), third (2014) and fourth (2020) addition. Having recently been approved, the fifth edition will be implemented from 2025. The aim of the APCC Accreditation Programme is to ensure all APCC members have the policies, systems, procedures, competencies and resources required to deliver quality palliative care. All members are audited and accredited against APCC standards and allocated a star-rating (stars one to five) indicating their level of compliance with these standards.
“Accreditation is both necessary and of immense value, and I encourage other hospices to take the time to invest in this important process.
Helderberg Hospice CEO Robert de Wet
“Subjecting your organisation to an intensive external accreditation process is important as it serves both to affirm the positive aspects of the work we do and simultaneously makes us aware of areas in which we require more focus.
“We are very pleased with our accreditation as it serves as evidence to our patient community that we adhere to the strictest standards in hospice and palliative care and assures our donor community that we adhere to ethical principles in fundraising and good corporate governance when managing donor funds.”
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