Stay and Visit - Crescent Mental Health

Patients must be admitted by a treating psychiatrist. If a patient is under the care of a psychologist, the doctor may book a bed by referring the patient to a psychiatrist to oversee treatment during admission. Should a patient not be under the care of either of these specialists, a psychiatrist can be arranged on admission.

Beds are books provisionally according to a waiting list. Mediclinic applies their best endeavours to accommodate patients with urgency and compassion, by following the waiting list system based on our discharges for the period. A doctor or therapist might give you a potential date of admission, but this will be confirmed by a member of staff.

Our nursing staff will contact each patient a day or two prior to their admission to confirm their bed. At this stage the team will finalise the financial aspects of the admission. This information will allow our administration team to complete any pre-authorisation.

On admission, patients are requested to arrive before 10:00 am to facilitate authorisation and medication orders from pharmacy. Please arrange a family member or friend to drop you as patients’ cars are not permitted on the premises.

We take pride in the services we offer and remain committed to being active partners in each individual’s treatment. However, we ask each patient to also actively participate in this partnership. Treatment involves a willingness to discuss personal issues with honesty; it involves striving to develop new methods of coping, and it demands courage, motivation and great determination.

Upon admission, patients will undergo a few initial assessments. This is usually followed by a meeting with the nurses, and then the doctor/ psychiatrist. Our nursing team will collate personal information in order to formulate a nursing care plan. A doctor will interview each patient to assess their current clinical needs. They may also require blood samples for routine tests and screens. A consultant from our therapy services team will perform an assessment to determine which therapy programme is most appropriate. Some programmes may only be initiated at a later stage of admission - if the patient requires a longer settling in period for clinical reasons.

Admission interviews help the team ascertain what factors might pose a risk to each patient’s recovery and again to assist the team in formulating the right treatment plan.

The therapy programme each patient attends at the clinic forms a fundamental base of their overall treatment. An initial programme will be discussed and agreed to between our team and each patient. It may change during the course of treatment, depending on personal progress and needs.

The following check list will help you to ensure that you are all packed and ready for you three weeks of healing transformation:

• Identity card
• Medical aid card
• Identity card/copy of main member of Medical aid
• All current medication in their original packaging
• Casual clothes (please make sure your clothes are comfortable and appropriate)
• If desired, appropriate gym clothes and shoes. Yoga sessions require comfortable clothes to stretch in.
• REMEMBER that there are NO laundry facilities so please bring enough clothes for three weeks or arrange with a family member or friend to collect clothes that should be laundered during visiting hours.
• Toiletries
• A medium sized padlock for your cupboard – these can also be purchased at the facility
• Remember your phone charger and a plug for your charges
• Some hobby items like books, magazines, puzzles, colouring books and pencils or hand work projects like knitting. We recommend that patient’s undertake enjoyable activities in their spare time.
• Please leave all valuables at home
• Please leave all sharp objects at home (no scissors, pocket knives or sharpeners are allowed)
• No parking on premises. Ask a family member or friend to accompany you to admission.
• Specific diets are available upon request. We can arrange for a low carbohydrate or vegetarian diets. We also provide diabetic, cholesterol free and gluten free diets if this has been specifically diagnosed. Please bring along documentation to indicate the requirements for a specific diet.
• Please note that we have a very strict policy against any alcohol or illicit drugs being brought onto or used on our premises. Being in possession or using any form of substance during your admission will lead to discharge.
• Most of all HOPE, coming to our facility is the first step towards recovery…well done!

In the case of an emergency, Mediclinic Crescent Mental Health Services can accept emergency referrals on a 24 hour basis, subject to a nursing assessment and provides full psychiatric assessment and therapeutic care for such patients. For after-hours emergencies, please contact +27 (0)21 762 7666. Please be advised that referral to a medical facility may be recommended in such emergency cases, based on the nursing assessment.