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The Trauma Society of South Africa (TSSA) has officially recognised Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital’s emergency department as an accredited urban trauma centre, alongside the level I trauma centre at Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital and the level III trauma centre at Netcare Kuilsriver Hospital in the Western Cape.

“This TSSA accreditation officially certifies Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital as a level II trauma centre with the necessary medical expertise and systems aligned with international best practice in trauma medicine to provide 24-hour emergency care as needed in a populous urban centre,” says Mande Toubkin, general manager emergency, trauma, transplant and CSI at Netcare.

“Patients who are treated at the right level trauma centre for their injuries at the right time have improved survival rates and demonstrably better outcomes. This is because in TSSA accredited facilities, systems are in place to ensure prompt assessment, resuscitation and stabilisation in line with defined treatment protocols for quality care and patient safety,” she says.

Pic: Prof Pradeep Navsaria, vice president of TSSA, is pictured with members of the emergency department (ED) and critical care team at Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital and Netcare’s trauma programme. (Front row, left to right) Emergency medicine specialist Dr Charl Carstens; theatre unit manager Sr Drucilla Matthews and ED clinical nurse specialist (CNS) Michelle Cronje; (back row) adult ICU manager Elmarie Rossouw; Prof Navsaria; nursing services manager Sr Sylvia Ninham; ED unit manager Sr Claudette Lotz; Western Cape trauma programme manager Amanda Klette; ED CNS Michelle Buitendag and ED doctor Dr Giesela Jooste.

The TSSA’s stringent criteria provide assurance that the public and healthcare providers can have confidence in the quality and consistency of trauma care provided. The  assessment offers an objective benchmark, and the accreditation level is helpful for local emergency medical service providers in identifying the nearest, most appropriate trauma centre for a patient’s specific emergency needs. “As a level II trauma centre, Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital includes the core surgical and emergency disciplines and critical care services supported by wider multidisciplinary specialist care, in this case with a particular emphasis on cardiovascular, maternal, neonatal and paediatric care, among others,” Toubkin says. “Quality trauma care is built on strong trauma systems, and Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital’s recent accreditation strengthens trauma care throughout the Western Cape as it also supports the only private level 1 trauma centre in the province, that is Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital.” To ensure consistency of care, accredited trauma centres must also report on the outcomes of the treatments provided for injuries on an ongoing basis. “We congratulate the doctors and staff of the emergency department on this achievement, and thank the Netcare trauma team for their leadership towards this goal,” says Alan Abrahams, general manager of Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital.

 

“This recognition as a level II trauma centre, accredited on 20 June 2023, has great significance for the communities we serve in that it clearly demonstrates that our commitment to providing the best and safest evidence based and data driven care is bearing fruit that will prove highly beneficial to the communities that we serve in times of need.”

Ends

Notes to editor
 
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For media enquiries, contact MNA at the contact details listed below.

Issued by:      MNA on behalf of Netcare Hospital Division/Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital
For media enquiries contact: Martina Nicholson, Meggan Saville, Estene Lotriet-Vorster or Clementine Forsthofer
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