Sunday 6 March marked Hospitality Workers in Healthcare Day, an opportunity to recognise our support services employees who make a valuable contribution in the clinical support environment.
Our support services include our food services, environmental services, porters and patient service assistants who are vital to the experience and care of our patients, residents, and employees.
Our teams cover several important responsibilities including delivering meals, maintaining clean and hygienic environments, waste management and providing laundry services.
When asked what the most enjoyable part of his role is, Paul Mattamana, Food Services Assistant at Casey Hospital, shared the ability to work in a supportive environment and make a valuable contribution to our patients.
“I enjoy working in the kitchen with a happy and welcoming team and providing a valuable service for our patients. I am grateful when we receive positive feedback from patients and the ongoing support from supervisors and managers.”
Janine Pickering, General Services Manager expressed how her role allows her to contribute to the safety and wellbeing of the Monash Health community.
“I feel like I am part of the bigger picture in helping provide quality health care to our local community, all while working together to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our patients.”
Throughout the pandemic, our support services teams have shown resilience and adaptability to support both Monash Health’s operations, and services across the healthcare system impacted by COVID-19.
Paul expressed how the pandemic has shown him that with the right support, team environment and attitude, you can handle any challenge that comes your way. Paul attributes a strong team, supportive management and ongoing training to the achievements of the support services team during COVID-19.
For our healthcare partners, our teams have provided more than 20,000 meals to private residential facilities, and public and private hospitals impacted by kitchen closures due to COVID-19.
In the community, our Kingston Food Services teams have increased their working capacity to supply meals to screening centres, vaccination centres and community centres across 18 locations in the south-east.
In our residential sites, existing employees have had the opportunity to upskill and step into the role of menu monitors, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to employee learning and development.
In this climate, Janine shared how the pandemic has demonstrated the need to adapt quickly to changes and support each other when faced with new roles, responsibilities, and restrictions to services.
As we move past the peak of the pandemic, Janine is delighted to see the support services teams resume their usual roles and to see everyone back together again.
In recognition of our teams, see some of our support services colleagues performing their roles below. Thank you to all our support services employees for the valuable contribution you make to Monash Health every day.
Approved by Katrina Nankervis.