Innovation
For many years, Mediclinic has invested in the continued expansion of the continuum of care, escalating what services are available to their clients and improving their care journey.
Complementary services such as day clinics, renal services and oncology have been introduced to ensure a positive, long term relationship with clients where different medical needs can be met within a familiar, accessible environment.
While already a long term focus area for Mediclinic, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought mental health into the spotlight. According to UNICEF South Africa U-Report Poll, 65% of young people with mental health related issues do not seek help. Andre Meiring, Mental Health General Manager for Mediclinic Southern Africa, explains, “There is a great need to break the negative connotations associated with seeking care. We are actively investing in facilities to support our communities as well as creating positive messaging amongst our audiences relating to the importance of seeking out support.”
“Our indications during the recent COVID-19 pandemic were that approximately 22 thousand of the admissions to our acute facilities had a primary or secondary diagnosis relating to mental health,” Meiring adds. He believes that an important aspect of receiving this number of patients is ensuring that there is a comprehensive, standardised, integrated and responsive treatment protocol implemented across the various units. The goal is to ensure that the care provided remains consistent and of the highest quality.
Mediclinic currently operates five dedicated mental health units and over time this may expand. In addition to the existing units located in Welkom, George and Newcastle, Mediclinic has recently brought two independent facilities on board, namely Mediclinic Denmar Mental Health Services (formerly Denmar Specialist Psychiatric Hospital) as well as Crescent Clinic, based in the Western Cape. Smaller in-hospital care options also exist within some of the acute facilities.
A key strategic goal of the business is to ensure that Mediclinic is improving access points to the right care in all areas of a patients engagement, be this through Emergency Centres, renal or oncology units as well as through avenues such as receiving victims of GBV or other violence. “It is vital that we are growing our channels to facilitate that the patients are fully supported once their physical care needs have been met, that their journey continues to address their psychological support requirements over time,” explains Meiring. He continues that this integration will be a long-term process, and that Mediclinic is investing time and resources to ensure that the patients’ needs remain central to the care journey.
The pandemic emphasised the growing need for self-care and awareness across all age groups and spheres of economic activity. “During the pandemic, we recognised that many of our own employees were experiencing mental health challenges and we had to prioritise their needs to urgently support them and put options in place for them to access support inside the business, as well as external, through independent resources. At points during the peak of the waves, we even arranged for on-site support to visit the employees during their lunch breaks, with consent, to encourage them to reach out for help or to simply speak about anything that was overwhelming them during that time,” Meiring details.
The South African community (in line with worldwide trends) is exhibiting a growing need for this type of care. The Mental Health million project found that at least 44% of 18 to 24-year olds had mental wellbeing scores within the ‘distressed or struggling’ range. According to the study, this represents a growing gap between generations that, while present prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, has since been exacerbated due to the impact of the pandemic on individuals, families and businesses. According to this same study it stands in stark contrast to the happiness and wellbeing patterns documented prior to 2020.
In response to this growing trend which is aligned with our strategic goals, Mediclinic will continue to focus on bringing such services within easy reach of their feeder communities, ensuring that the services offered are a seamless transition with those received elsewhere along the care continuum.
“Mental health is an integral part of health and well-being and our belief is that an integrated, responsive and multi-disciplinary approach to mental health services is a necessity, and we would like to play our part in ensuring accessibility of such care,” concludes Meiring.