St. Joseph’s Intermediate Paediatric Care, located in Cape Town, is a critical but limited resource in paediatric intermediate care services. As the only non-profit organisation offering free services to severely vulnerable communities, its mission is to ensure no child is left behind due to their circumstances of birth.
Receiving referrals from 21 hospitals and clinics, including Tygerberg, Red Cross, Victoria, New Somerset and Groote Schuur Hospitals, St. Joseph’s becomes a temporary home for medically fragile children not well enough to return home after treatment. The patient-centric approach ensures the children’s needs are central to both thinking and practice.
With 175 beds, the facility provides post-acute palliative, restorative, rehabilitative, and respite care, addressing conditions like Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and more. The multidisciplinary team collaborates closely with the referral team on transitional care plans.
Established in 1935, St. Joseph’s has been a cornerstone in the lives of medically fragile children, offering a haven in an environment marked by high rates of drug abuse, crime and gang violence. The facility, with its 24-hour nursing care and rehabilitation model, ensures comprehensive care, with an average patient stay of six months.
Beyond medical assistance, the facility provides educational continuity with on-site school and creche facilities. St. Joseph’s Intermediate Paediatric Care emerges as a forerunner, catalysing miracles of recovery in the lives of patients and families who have found solace and hope through its indispensable services.
Leave a Reply