Yes, our name is The Party Staff, but hospitality isn’t all partying. Hospitality matters tremendously in healthcare, and the recent years of increased hospital visits have made that all the more apparent.
Patient satisfaction scores have seen increased scrutiny, and although medical care plays a key role in that score, hospitality is a close second. This includes every element of the hospital that serves to make the stay less emotionally sterile and more physically comfortable—think food, amenities, and décor, as well as the people themselves who deliver these services. Read on for more insight.
Why Hospitality Is Important in Healthcare
Patients are not typically viewed as traditional “customers,” but in many ways that’s exactly what they are—and if their evolving habits as shoppers are anything to go by, they expect empathy, efficiency, and quality at every turn. Certainly, medical staff are the key players here, but “behind the scenes” hospitality staff are just as important in ensuring those expectations are met.
A study cited by Cornell University calls this the “halo effect”—where “front-stage room and board” is weighted higher by many patients than the medical treatment itself. After all, the phrase “food is medicine” rings true, and as such, the cafeteria becomes as important as the operating theater. The same is true for assisted living facilities and other healthcare settings where hospitality often takes center stage.
Some healthcare leaders go so far as to say that better food hospitality can actually aid in a patient’s speedy recovery. Nutrition, of course, has a significant impact on recovery and wellness, but it goes further than that. Flexible and timely room service, for example, can make all the difference to a patient in the maternity ward or even oncology. For patients with reduced mental acuity, well-timed and delivered food service can lower anxiety and related health outcomes.
People-First Healthscapes
Implementing a more hospitable environment, what Boston University calls “hospitality healthscapes,” is one step toward providing patients with a more satisfying and productive stay. But to do so, healthcare institutions need the right staff in place. And while no food hospitality staff members are required to go through quite as much schooling and credentialling as a doctor or nurse in order to be hired, screening and onboarding the right people is still critical.
Hospitality staffing in healthcare is an often-overlooked piece of the puzzle. These are positions that require an urgent sense of customer service as well as a heightened level of empathy. People in these roles are another touchpoint for the patient, who may be overwhelmed by their situation or simply by the process of getting service. Patient safety and wellbeing are the number one priority, so finding people who can satisfy the profile for hospitality jobs can be tricky.
How The Party Staff Can Help
With our experience and expertise across multiple industries, The Party Staff is highly qualified to deliver temporary and permanent hospitality staff for the healthcare industry. From background checks and TB testing to food handlers cards and skills assessments, we have a robust pre-employment prescreening process to vet the people we’re sending to hospitals and assisted living centers.
We can place people in positions such as:
- Food Servers
- Cooks
- Dishwashers
- Cashiers
- Dietary Aids
