The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness (WCGHW) and City of Cape Town (CoCT) are working closely together to ensure plans remain on track for a smooth service handover of the Saxon Sea and Protea Park clinics in Atlantis.
Although locals felt the updates regarding the handover left much to be desired the work behind the scenes is ongoing, a statement from the WCGHW explained. It said the transition process for the CoCT to hand the operations of the clinics over to WCGHW continues as a joint team focuses on the technical and logistical work required.
This includes transferring patient appointments, conversion of health-information management systems and proper equipping of both facilities for expanded service packages. The process of handover is estimated to be completed by February 2024.
The expansion of the package of care that phases in comprehensive primary health-care services at Protea Park and Saxonsea is dependent on new categories of staff. The recruitment process of health-care workers with the necessary skills is underway.
As part of the service handover, the CoCT is managing the redeployment of its staff currently working at these facilities.
To date, services offered by CoCT have been focused on child health and sexual reproductive health services, basic antenatal care, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, TB screening and treatment as well as HIV counselling and testing services.
Pending the full-service package being available, these services rendered by CoCT staff at the Protea Park and Saxonsea clinics will continue.
The efforts to improve health-care services for patients in Atlantis remain a high priority the Departement says. To this end the following additional service improvement and recruitments are envisioned for the Atlantis community:. The chronic appointment service at the Protea Park Clinic on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays has now increased to a full-day service.. The new integrated adult chronic care services for stable chronic patients, including diabetes, high-blood pressure, and depression has successfully been transferred to Protea Park Clinic. This has ensured reduced waiting times and it enables us to help more eligible patients than before.. Plans to provide optometry services at Saxonsea and Protea Park (space permitting and by appointment) remain a priority and teams are working with the service provider to establish a service plan.. Access to mental-health services will be boosted with an additional specialist mental health professional nurse who will permanently work between Protea Park Clinic, Saxonsea Clinic and Mamre CDC. Filling the position is underway.. When Protea Park Clinic can operate as a fully-fledged CDC a pharmacist will be recruited to assist in developing full pharmacy services and support further expansion of chronic medication delivery and distribution in Atlantis.. A permanent Medical Officer post has been created.. A senior family physician, a medical specialist, will provide oversight to improve quality clinical care. This historic additional investment to the current team of two family physicians at Wesfleur Hospital will have specific professional focus on improving patients’ access to different levels of care at Mamre CDC, Protea Park Clinic and Saxonsea Clinic.
The following infrastructure improvements are in process of improving patient experience at Wesfleur Hospital:. The upgrade and extension of the Wesfleur Hospital Records Room. The construction is planned to start January 2025, but the Departement is working towards an earlier start date so that a new covered waiting area will be created sooner for patients at the hospital.. A contractor is on site at Wesfleur Hospital to fix faulty toilets at the facility.. Upgrade of the Wesfleur Hospital linen room is scheduled to start in February 2024.
“The health and wellness of our residents is one of our top priorities and these improvements will not only further cement the services already available, but expand the basket,” said Councillor Patricia van der Ross, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health. “Healthier residents make for healthier families and a healthier community.”
Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness concluded: “We remain wholly committed to strengthening to whole health system in Atlantis so residents are able to receive comprehensive services in their community. The focus is not only on the impact this will have primary health care, but also how this transition will improve all healthcare services such as those in the hospital, EMS and community-based services.
“As a department, we have been working closely with our colleagues in the City of Cape Town to ensure that this transition is done effectively and smoothly.
“Thank you to the communities for the input they have made in this process, and we look forward to engaging them further in due course on these updates. The progress to date has been promising and we know that these facilities will continue to play a positive role in the lives of Atlantis residents.
“We continue to focus on improving service delivery and providing a comprehensive package of care to the broader Atlantis community. We encourage patients to maintain their appointment schedules provided by the CoCT clinics’ and Department of Health and Wellness services.”
