Netcare keeps hospitalised patients and their families connected
MILPARK – "We understand how crucial it is for families to know how their loved ones in our care are doing, and this new service is dedicated to fulfilling this need," said Netcare CEO Dr Richard Friedland.
Netcare has launched a Family Connect Line enabling Covid-19 patients to keep connected with their loved ones during their hospital stay.
Chief executive officer at Netcare Dr Richard Friedland said, “The significant surge in people with Covid-19 infections requiring hospitalisation has forced us to focus our attention primarily on optimising our clinical resources to provide the best and safest care possible for all patients.”
Friedland added that as a result of the strain on resources, communication with patients’ loved ones had at times been affected.
“We understand that the hospitalisation of a loved one can be very stressful and anxiety-provoking for the next of kin, especially during this time when, in order to mitigate the risk of the virus spreading in our hospitals, visitation has been suspended other than in exceptional cases.”
Friedland said the Netcare Family Connect Line, launched on 18 January, made it possible for families to engage with dedicated personnel (mainly social workers) for information on the status of their loved ones admitted to the Netcare hospitals with Covid-19.
“We understand how crucial it is for families to know how their loved ones in our care are doing, and this new service is dedicated to fulfilling this need.”
Also read: Netcare hospitals bolstering resources to weather the second wave
Patients’ next of kin can contact the Netcare Family Connect Line on 080 011 1266 between 8am and 6pm on weekdays and 8am and 5pm on weekends. Next of kin will be provided with a patient case number which they will share over the phone with assistants on the connect line. The assistants will relay the enquiry to the Netcare representatives at the hospital who will liaise with the patient to receive permission to disclose information on their status to the caller. The caller will then be contacted telephonically within hours with updates on the patient’s status.
Netcare has recruited and deployed 30 social workers to support patients and their families in non-clinical patient liaison roles since the start of January.
“Already we are seeing the profound value that the social workers’ efforts have brought for families through facilitating better communication in these unprecedented times, and we believe that this telephonic support service will enhance the connection between patients and their loved ones even further.”
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