ABOUT NELSPRUIT HOSPICE

Nelspruit Hospice is a non-profit organisation that provides quality home-based palliative care to people with life-threatening illnesses. Professional Nurses who are palliative-care trained. Providing  physical, psycho-social, and spiritual support regardless of race, disease, religion, or socio-economic situation to our patients living in a 30km radius in Nelspruit..

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OUR HISTORY

Nelspruit Hospice was constituted in November 2005. After extensive fundraising, recruitment, training of a professional nurse and volunteers and securing office space, we became operational during August 2006.

The first office was situated at 7 Rothery street. A professional nurse and volunteers were recruited and trained in palliative care and started caring for patients diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses and rendered support to their families.

With generous donations from local businesses and donations from the community, a house was bought in 2015 at 84 Ferreira street and converted into Nelspruit Hospice House.

Since these humble beginnings, Nelspruit Hospice managed to raise more than R5 000 000.00 and successfully achieved a four-star (out of five) rating from the Hospice Palliative Care Association of SA (HPCA).

During the past 15 years of our existence we cared for 1000 patients and their families and conducted palliative care training for staff and volunteers, and rendered Bereavement Support Groups for families after the death of a loved one.

VISION

Quality Palliative Care for All…..Because we care!

MISSION

To provide quality, compassionate, comprehensive care and support to all patients and families suffering from life threatening illnesses, by addressing the needs of the mind, body, and soul and by affirming life and regarding death as a normal process.

CORE VALUES

We are committed to the following core values in the delivery of quality palliative care:
Compassion: To act with kindness and perseverance, warmth, patience, and wisdom in an empathetic and truthful manner and preserve the dignity of the people we serve.
Integrity: To act consistently in a responsible manner with honesty and truthfulness in all situations, which are reflected in our actions, words, decisions, methods and outcomes.
Excellence: To provide excellent person-cantered care – quality in everything we do.
Transparency: To act with honesty, openness, and integrity.
Professionalism: To maintain confidentiality and demonstrate our commitment through ethical conduct, behaviour, and attitude.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Nelspruit Hospice provides holistic treatment to patients diagnosed with a life-threatening illness for whom cure is not available.

The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life by the prevention and/or relief of suffering, especially addressing pain and debilitating symptoms.

Hospice affirms life and recognizes dying as a normal process. Everybody has the right to die with dignity in a caring environment.

We neither hasten nor postpone death but exist in the belief that with proper care and the promotion of a caring community, patients and families will be free to achieve a satisfactory degree of mental and spiritual preparation for death.

Most patients are cared for in their own homes where the family becomes the unit of care. Our professional nurses work as part of an interdisciplinary team with the referring doctor, social worker, and other allied health care professionals, such as physiotherapists and spiritual leaders, to provide holistic care for the body, mind, and soul.

WE ARE A NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION

Nelspruit Hospice is a registered Non-Profit Organisation with the Department of Social Development (NPO 048-097). We are registered with SARS as a Public Beneficiary Organisation (PBO 098-023-585) and is therefore exempt from Income Tax and can issue Section 18A Certificates to major donors.

We are Level 4 – BBBEE certified.

Nelspruit Hospice is a member of the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA) and the Regional HPCA Association.

Our Private Practice Number is 079 000 090 1474.

OUR TEAM

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors is the governing body of Nelspruit Hospice. It consists of professionals who share their skills and expertise to ensure that Nelspruit Hospice complies with its vision and mission statements.

Emil de Clerk
(Chairman) 

Financial adviser and owner of Ecowealth Financial Planning.

Caren Venter
(Vice Chairman)

BA (Art and Design)  – Northwest University;
MBA – Open University, United Kingdom;
Creative consultant.

Jack Fleming
(Treasurer)

B.Compt & B.Compt.Hons University of South Africa.
Partner at Maritz and Fleming Financial Services Inc .

Landi Bezuidenhout
(CEO and Nursing Services Manager)

Diplomas in Nursing Science and Midwifery (SG Lourens College of Nursing Pretoria), Community Health Nursing (Technikon Northern Transvaal), Nursing Administration, Nursing Education (University of Pretoria), Postgraduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine, Palliative Care – University of Cape Town.

Ds. Thys Erasmus
(Secretary) 

B.A (Honors). Th.B. (Honors) en M.Th. (Honors).

Dr. C.M Zungu
(Member)

Family Physician
MBChB(UCT) MMED(UP) FCFP(SA)
PG DIP PALLIATIVE MED(UCT)

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Emil de Clerk
(Chairman) 

Financial adviser and owner of Ecowealth Financial Planning.

Landi Bezuidenhout
(CEO and Nursing Services Manager)

Responsible for overall day-to-day management of Nelspruit Hospice and to oversee the fundraising for the organisation to ensure sustainability.

STAFF

Landi Bezuidenhout
(CEO and Nursing Services Manager)

Lucia Masinga
(Professional Nurse)

Rendering nursing care to home-based patients

Judy Etheridge
(Hospice Shop Manager)

Handling donations received and managing the shop

Suzi Mawelela
(Cleaner)

Responsible for the hygiene and upkeep of the Nelspruit Hospice offices.

Senzo Mawelela
(Gardener)

Responsible for the upkeep of the grounds and the garden.