Support for cancer patients

Posted on 16 February 2016

It’s the stuff of nightmares: you or someone you love is diagnosed with cancer. What happens next? And how can you make sense of all the information and treatment options? Fortunately, Mediclinic offers a network of support to guide you along the way.

Mediclinic has an extensive, national oncology network, one of those, the Oncology Centre at Mediclinic Vereeniging in Gauteng is by far the biggest and busiest in the area. Here you’ll meet Hedri Powell, a specialist oncology social worker. Her job is to ensure that the centre’s cancer patients get all the support they need on their journey to recovery.

Holistic approach

‘We believe in taking a holistic approach,’ Hedri explains. ‘We have medical social workers who work in the hospital, but I’m more specialised: I’m an oncology social worker and I help patients with the psychosocial side of things. I’m based here full-time, and patients can see me by appointment any time they like.’

As part of the holistic approach, Hedri doesn’t send an account to the patient. Instead, the practice pays her salary and her services as a social worker are included as part of the patient journey.

Hedri says a big part of what she does is to co-ordinate the system that supports patients. ‘We use all the available resources,’ she explains. ‘That includes the whole team – from the dietician to the rehab centre across the road. We use the whole network in and around the hospital – the networking is very important.’

If patients are not in the hospital ward or getting treatment in the unit, Hedri will refer them for outside support. ‘If they need palliative care we’ll refer them to Hospice. We also do a lot of work with CANSA, the Cancer Association of South Africa.’

Systems in place

Hedri takes what she calls a ‘systems approach’ to what she does. ‘I use the whole system to help the patient, and also to help them help themselves. A lot of my work is co-ordinating that system: family members, friends and all the resources in the community.’

Family and friends are, of course, a big part of the system. ‘The family is always involved,’ says Hedri. ‘Some people, however, have friends who are closer to them than family. My service is available to them, too – they’re free to make use of me.’

So how does it all work? Hedri explains: ‘I’m employed at ABJ – that’s Drs Alberts, Bouwer & Jordaan – and the practice is based at Mediclinic Vereeniging. So if a patient comes to us, he or she will see the oncologist. When the patient is in hospital, I’ll go with the doctor to visit them in the ward. We also have a GP working from our practice, who has an extra qualification in palliative care. Mediclinic has a very good wound clinic, and we make use of that too. We also try to include all the other specialists: dieticians, physiotherapists, and so on. Breast cancer patients, for example, often have problems spreading their arms after surgery – so that’s where the physiotherapist comes in. My role is to know all the available resources and to co-ordinate them so the patient has the easiest, most comfortable experience possible.’

For dedicated cancer support and care in your area contact your local Mediclinic oncology ward and discover their dedicated support team.