CritCare Consulting Refer: 073 115 8439
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Specialist ICU care · Mediclinic Cape Town

Expert critical care when your patient needs it most.

CritCare Consulting is a specialist intensive care team led by Prof Nadiya Ahmed. We provide continuous monitoring, organ support and rapid response for critically ill and post-operative patients, with the same specialists following each patient from admission to step-down.

Refer a patient: 073 115 8439 Meet the team
  • Referral line073 115 8439Discuss a patient directly with the team
  • Four doctorsSurgery · Trauma · AnaesthesiologyOne consistent ICU team
  • Mediclinic Cape TownSuite A11221 Hof Street, Gardens
About us

A dedicated ICU team, built around one patient at a time.

CritCare Consulting brings specialist critical care to patients at Mediclinic Cape Town. Prof Nadiya Ahmed leads the service, drawing on a critical care leadership record that spans some of South Africa's busiest surgical ICUs.

Our team combines general surgery, trauma surgery, anaesthesiology and critical care. We work closely with the referring surgeon or physician, so every patient has a clear plan and one consistent team throughout their stay.

Our promise We care for every patient as we would our own family. From the moment a patient is admitted to the day they leave ICU, and in the recovery that follows.
What is critical care?

A higher level of monitoring and support, for as long as it's needed.

An Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a specialised ward for patients who need closer monitoring, or extra support with breathing, circulation or other organ function, than a general ward can provide. After major surgery, for higher-risk patients, or when complications arise, time in ICU lets a specialist team watch closely and act immediately if anything changes.

Continuous monitoring

Vital signs are watched around the clock by specialist ICU nursing and medical staff.

Organ support

Support for breathing, circulation, kidneys and other organs, started when it's needed and reduced as the patient recovers.

One consistent team

The same specialists review your patient every day and stay involved through step-down.

For referring doctors

Refer a patient with one phone call.

We take referrals for ICU admission and review by phone, so we can discuss the patient with you directly and act quickly.

Referral line 073 115 8439

For urgent cases, call straight away. We'll agree the plan with you on the call and confirm admission or review.

Helpful to have ready

  • Patient detailsFull name, age, ID number and medical scheme
  • Where the patient isHospital, ward or room, and date of admission
  • Diagnosis and surgeryWorking diagnosis, procedure done or planned, and dates
  • Current conditionVital signs, oxygen or ventilation, and any inotropes or vasopressors
  • Key resultsRecent bloods, blood gas and imaging
  • Your concernsWhat you'd like us to watch for, and any other relevant history
For families

What to expect during an ICU stay

We know this is a stressful time. Here is a general guide to how care unfolds. Your care team will talk you through what is specific to your family member.

  1. Admission

    Your family member is connected to monitoring, assessed by the ICU team, and a care plan is started. We'll update you as soon as we can.

  2. Daily care

    The team reviews progress every day and adjusts the plan as needed, with the same clinicians involved throughout the stay.

  3. Communication

    We keep you informed at key points and are always willing to talk through your questions or concerns.

  4. Step-down

    As your family member improves, we plan the move to a high-care or general ward and stay involved in that transition.

If you have questions at any point, please reach out. Our team will help.

Looking ahead

After ICU: recovery and follow-up

Recovery after intensive care is usually gradual. Most patients move to a high-care or general ward before going home, and some need rehabilitation, follow-up appointments or extra support along the way.

Stage 1

ICU

Close monitoring and organ support while the condition is at its most critical.

Stage 2

High care / step-down

Support is gradually reduced as the patient stabilises, with the same team staying involved.

Stage 3

General ward

The focus shifts to mobility, nutrition and getting ready for a safe discharge home.

Common in the weeks after an ICU stay

  • Feeling physically weak or tiring more easily than usual
  • Difficulty sleeping, or vivid dreams
  • Gaps in memory around the stay, or feeling emotionally low
  • Changes in appetite, taste or mood
We're here after ICU too None of this is unusual. If it feels overwhelming, or you'd simply like to talk it through, we can help arrange the right follow-up and support. Call us on 073 115 8439.
Our team

Four doctors from surgery, trauma and anaesthesiology

Prof Nadiya Ahmed leads the service, with three critical care associates on the roster and a practice team who keep everything running.

Prof Nadiya Ahmed
ICU Lead

Prof Nadiya Ahmed

General Surgeon & Intensive Care Specialist MBChB · FCS (SA) · MMed (Surg) · Cert Crit Care (SA) Surg · Associate Professor, UFS

From Clinical Head of the Surgical ICU to Head of the Department of Critical Care at Universitas Academic Hospital and UFS, Prof Ahmed now sits on Mediclinic's executive leadership team while remaining hands-on in clinical practice. She is nationally and internationally recognised for her critical care expertise, with an extensive record of publications and congress presentations.

Dr Andrea Jacobs
Critical Care Associate

Dr Andrea Jacobs

Specialist Anaesthesiologist MBChB · MMed (Anaesthesiology) · FCA (SA) · MBA (Healthcare Leadership) · Health Sector Mediation (UCT)

Dr Jacobs trained at Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, where she later worked as a consultant in anaesthesiology and the Surgical ICU, and has been in private practice since 2021. She has served on SAMA's Specialist Practice Committee, chaired the Private Practice Business Unit of the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists, and advised Netcare on clinical governance and patient safety.

Dr Ryan Davids
Critical Care Associate

Dr Ryan Davids

Anaesthesiologist, Intensivist & Bioethicist MBChB · FCA (SA) · MMed (Anaesthesiology & Critical Care) · MPhil (Bioethics)

A Senior Lecturer at Stellenbosch University, Dr Davids chairs the research division of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care and heads the Surgical ICU at Tygerberg Hospital, with ties to the Medical Research Council and the United Nations.

Dr Chanel Changfoot
Critical Care Associate

Dr Chanel Changfoot

General & Trauma Surgeon, Surgical Critical Care Specialist MBChB (Distinction) · MMed (General Surgery) · FCS (SA) · MSc Critical Care (Edinburgh)

Dr Changfoot practises in the Tygerberg Hospital Surgical ICU and as a trauma surgeon at Life Vincent Pallotti Hospital. A Director-status ATLS instructor, she brings hands-on trauma and ICU leadership to the on-call roster.

Practice team

Sr Amber Nicholl
Practice Manager

Sr Amber Nicholl

Estelle Juries
Receptionist

Estelle Juries

Contact

Get in touch

To refer a patient or discuss an urgent case, call the referral line. For anything else, email Prof Ahmed.

Referral line073 115 8439Call now
Emailprofahmed@critcareconsulting.co.zaSend email
Find usSuite A112, Mediclinic Cape Town
21 Hof Street, Gardens, Cape TownDirections