Supporting Services at Hospitals
Supporting services refer to the cost sections, which are not medical ancillary divisions. The centers do not obtain revenue from patient charges. Thus, physicians may not necessarily offer professional guidance with regard to their usage. Hospitals mainly have the patient, facilities and administrative support functions. Patient supporting services involve the organization of hospitals where providers are in direct contact with patients in areas of nutrition, pastoral care, patient ombudsman, social services and patient escort.
On the premises of facility’s supporting services, providers offer equipment services, including housekeeping, biomedical engineering, physical plant and maintenance. With regard to administrative services, the functions promote an institution’s mission through effective material management, telecommunications, volunteers and human resource management.
Patient supporting services support therapeutic processes and provide healthy menu for patients and hospital personnel under the guidance of nutritionists with respect to proper nutrition. The department achieves the dietary functions through proper patient menus, special diets, determining the type of food taken, installation of facilities for food preparation, cafeteria management, catering services, contract food supply and other food programs.
The social support service uses medical and psychiatric officers to provide a holistic patient management through considering physiological and psychological aspects of therapy. Chaplains and other religious people offer pastoral care to patients and their families through listening to them, offering advice, providing stress management care, offering crisis interventions and mediating to ensure effective patient care.
Patient transport functions are important in ensuring safe accessibility of hospitals, especially by people with disabilities. A patient representative is a major part of care because he/she acts as a link between a hospital setup, patient and/or his or her family through effective listening, communication and facilitation of healthcare processes.
With regard to a facility’s support functions, there are environmental services, which address two key areas of patient care in the hospital. Workers in the environmental department ensure high standards of cleanliness and regulation of linen supply in a facility. Effectiveness of the support services are achieved through adequate staffing, removal of hazardous and infectious waste as well as control and distribution of linen.
Laundry services are important in ensuring the collection and cleaning of soiled linen for subsequent use. Maintenance of grounds, equipment and buildings is vital in ensuring proper operations in a hospital. Plant engineering helps in heat, light and power generation and distribution to the entire facility. Other important facility services include parking management, security, fire safety, biomedical engineering, and contract management.
Administration functions in a hospital are important for effective coordination and control of resources in a hospital setup. A materials management section controls and facilitates the use of products and other supplies from the time the hospital acquires them to the time of disposal. Organizational section offers critical services in a hospital because it helps different divisions to coordinate and communicate with other for service efficiency.
Centralized procurement of products and services in a hospital is important in ensuring good cost management and efficient operation and it may determine whether hospitals buy or lease machines and services. Receiving and inventory control sections ensure control of the usage of materials and determine ordering levels for continuous supply.
They also manage a hospital’s storeroom in which most of the inventory is stored. Administrative services include human resource management that maintains a job-control plan, conducts job analysis, description, recruitment, interview, orientation programs, motivation and job enrichment, troubled employees, employee appraisal and benefits. The function also includes management of unions and other hospital organizations.
Four types of services
Laundry services
The department operates in a hospital with various functional areas responsible for performing laundry services. Typical functional units of the department include areas to receive and sort dirty linen. Other areas are involved in washing and processing. There is a continuous effort in hospitals to use automated machines to do the laundry services. In terms of personnel, it is headed by the laundry manager who must have the skills in people management, use of machines and procedures in the section.
Other personnel report to the supervisor who in turn reports to the manager. The division performs tasks such as processing, storage and distribution of items. Examples of specific tasks are washing and ironing, pressing using the pressing machine and mending laundry items. Furthermore, the department receives supplies and provides storage services.
Social work services
A social work services section addresses psychosocial issues resulting from social, financial, emotional and environmental impact negatively patient treatment. The department employs internal and external support to offer patients and their families quality social support. To achieve its objective, the department conducts assessments and screening to identify cases with high risks psychosocial issues.
After identification, the personnel provide the necessary information to alleviate social issues and make appropriate referrals to support services. The department works in collaboration with the treatment team in planning for patient discharge.
Other functions include financial support, counseling, client follow-up, organizing conferences and training programs for patients and their families, as well as encouraging self-help. Overall, the department ensures patients receive wholesome treatment of clients by catering for the emotional, social and physical needs, among other challenges that affect clients and their families.
Maintenance services
A hospital maintenance department supports plant operations by ensuring that physical environment and other services run smoothly and deliver effective public service and healthcare. The department is a direct resource of the organization that provides an effective, functional, safe and supportive atmosphere for staff members, patients, and other people who visit the hospital. Depending on the size of a facility, major positions in the section include a chief engineer as the head, the assistant, technicians, and support staff.
The personnel perform general tasks such as general maintenance, landscaping, power, lighting, generator, plumbing, fire management, painting, carpentry and managing the communication system.
The department has biomedical engineers who ensure safety of medical equipment through regular inspection and management, including enforcement of standard operating procedures. The engineers report to the manager issue of malfunctioning equipment for repair or replacement, as well as training staff of operation, safety and emergence use of machines.
The purchasing services
The division is an important part of a hospital responsible for acquisition of the best services and supplies according to specifications from various departments. Major positions in the section include a purchasing manager as the head, supervisors under as assistants and purchasing specialists. Tasks performed by the department include executing purchase requests by hospital departments following efficient business processes.
It is the responsibility of the purchasing section to maintain machine records and service agreements. Through a purchase specialist, the division prices items and posts the charges to relevant accounts within a hospital. The department coordinates with other departments within an institution to identify utilization of products to effect the necessary changes in ensuring effective and frequent use of products for service improvement.