Stay and Visit

Patients must be admitted by a treating psychiatrist. If a patient is under the care of a psychologist, the doctor may book a bed by referring the patient to a psychiatrist to oversee treatment during admission. Should a patient not be under the care of either of these specialists, a psychiatrist can be arranged on admission.

Beds are booked provisionally according to a waiting list. Mediclinic endeavours to accommodate patients with urgency and compassion by following the waiting list system based on our discharges for the period. A doctor or therapist might give you a potential date of admission, but this will be confirmed by a member of staff.

Our nursing staff will contact each patient a day or two prior to their admission to confirm their bed. At this stage, the team will finalise the financial aspects of the admission. This information will allow our administration team to complete any pre-authorisation.

On admission, patients are requested to arrive before 10:00 to facilitate authorisation and medication orders from the pharmacy. Please arrange for a family member or friend to drop you as patients’ cars are not permitted on the premises.

We take pride in the services we offer and remain committed to being active partners in each individual’s treatment. However, we also ask each patient to participate actively in this partnership. Treatment involves a willingness to discuss personal issues with honesty; it involves striving to develop new methods of coping and demands courage, motivation and great determination.

Upon admission, patients will undergo a few initial assessments. This is usually followed by a meeting with the nurses, and then the doctor or psychiatrist. Our nursing team will collate personal information to formulate a nursing care plan. A doctor will interview each patient to assess their current clinical needs. They may also require blood samples for routine tests and screens. A consultant from our therapy services team will perform an assessment to determine which therapy programme is most appropriate. Some programmes may only be initiated at a later stage of admission, for example, if the patient requires a longer settling-in period for clinical reasons.

Admission interviews help the team ascertain what factors might pose a risk to each patient’s recovery and also assist the team in formulating the right treatment plan.

The therapy programme each patient attends at the clinic forms a fundamental base of their overall treatment. An initial programme will be discussed and agreed upon between our team and each patient. It may change during the course of treatment, depending on personal progress and needs.

The following checklist will help ensure that you are all packed and ready for your three weeks of healing transformation:

• Identity card
• Medical aid card
• Identity card/copy of main member of medical aid
• All current medication in their original packaging
• Casual clothes (please make sure your clothes are comfortable and appropriate)
• If desired, appropriate gym clothes and shoes – yoga sessions require comfortable clothes to stretch in
• REMEMBER that there are NO laundry facilities, so please bring enough clothes for three weeks or arrange with a family member or friend to collect clothes that should be laundered during visiting hours
• Toiletries
• A medium-sized padlock for your cupboard – these can also be purchased at the facility
• Remember to bring your phone charger and a plug for your charges
• Some hobby items like books, magazines, puzzles, colouring books and pencils or handwork projects like knitting. We recommend that patient’s undertake enjoyable activities in their spare time
• Please leave all valuables at home
• Please leave all sharp objects at home (no scissors, pocket knives or sharpeners are allowed)
• No parking on premises. Ask a family member or friend to accompany you to admission.
• Specific diets are available upon request. We can arrange for a low carbohydrate or vegetarian diet. We also provide diabetic, cholesterol-free, and gluten-free diets if this has been specifically diagnosed. Please bring along documentation to indicate the requirements for a specific diet.
• Please note that we have a very strict policy against any alcohol or illicit drugs being brought onto or used on our premises. Being in possession or using any form of substance during your admission will lead to discharge

In the case of an emergency, Mediclinic Crescent Mental Health Services can accept emergency referrals on a 24-hour basis, subject to a nursing assessment, and provides full psychiatric assessment and therapeutic care for such patients. For after-hours emergencies, please contact +27 (0)21 762 7666. Please be advised that referral to a medical facility may be recommended in such emergency cases, based on the nursing assessment.