In today's healthcare environment, success is measured not only by clinical outcomes but also by the overall experience of patients and families. An immaculate hospital room, a friendly food-service worker, and a warm smile at the bedside all contribute to patient well-being and, ultimately, to an organization's reputation in the community. Yet these "softer" elements of care—the linens, the meals, the cleanliness—are often easy to underestimate because they remain largely behind the scenes. These elements, however, play a crucial role in patient empowerment and healthcare patient engagement.
Recently on the CX Matters podcast, we spoke with Grant Randall, JD, National Director of Patient Experience at Compass One Healthcare, a division of Compass Group. As a patient experience director, Grant's role exemplifies the growing importance of patient-centered care in healthcare organizations. Compass Group—headquartered in the UK—is one of the largest employers in the world, yet many people in the healthcare industry remain unfamiliar with its day-to-day work because so much of it involves supporting healthcare in ways that are largely invisible.
Grant's job title itself, "National Director of Patient Experience," hints at just how integral patient-focused service has become—even in areas once considered peripheral. In his conversation with CX Matters host, Cole Lyons, Grant offered a wealth of insight into the link between support services and patient satisfaction, as well as the critical role leaders play in empowering frontline staff to make meaningful connections and foster health empowerment.
Grant's trajectory into healthcare isn't exactly linear. He earned his bachelor's in English from the The University of Kansas, where he remains a loyal Jayhawks basketball fan, then went on to law school, focusing on elder law and regulatory policies for the aging population. Eventually, he found himself working in Washington, D.C., and even spending time on a beach in Rio de Janeiro. Despite his formal legal training, he realized his real passion lay elsewhere: in people-centric, front-facing work that promotes client empowerment.
His foray into healthcare began earnestly when an executive within the Compass organization reached out, suggesting he transition into hospital support services. Rather than walking into a high-level position, Grant started on the front lines, working with operations staff, training housekeepers, and learning every facet of environmental services (EVS). He embraced this boots-on-the-ground approach, discovering firsthand how critical housekeeping and food-service teams are to a patient's overall experience and empowerment in healthcare.
This genuine care for patients and families—starting from every rung of the ladder—is at the core of Grant's mission at Compass One Healthcare. It's a prime example of how to engage your staff in the pursuit of patient empowerment and improved healthcare quality.
Though seldom in the spotlight, housekeeping can drastically affect HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) scores. Housekeepers enter patient rooms multiple times a day, often engaging in small conversations or empathetic gestures that make a big difference. As Grant points out, these support-staff roles are uniquely positioned because they involve skills and experiences everyone can relate to. A patient may not fully understand what goes into complex clinical procedures, but they certainly have opinions about cleanliness or what good food tastes like. This direct interaction provides opportunities for patient involvement in care and contributes to what is patient empowerment in practice.
When housekeeping teams feel connected to their organization, patients notice. Something as simple as greeting a patient by name, introducing oneself, and explaining the purpose of the visit can help calm a patient's anxiety—and also boost key metrics around patient perception and willingness to recommend. These actions are fundamental to patient-centred care and demonstrate how healthcare organizations can foster a culture of patient empowerment.
Yet, while these tasks may seem straightforward, Grant emphasizes that they cannot be mere "checkboxes." You can't just instruct staff to deliver a script or fill out an extra form; you have to show them why it matters. That "why" goes beyond improving a facility's HCAHPS rank—it resonates on a personal, human level. As he puts it, "If I can empower you to change someone's life, that's the real driver." This approach not only benefits patients but also contributes to employee satisfaction and well-being.
Compass One Healthcare's approach to improving experience combines both art—those crucial soft skills—and science—the data analytics that measure satisfaction. At any one time, Grant's team is poring over Press Ganey results, patient satisfaction metrics, and internal surveys to identify trends, figure out where the bottlenecks are, and determine which types of frontline engagement actually move the needle. This data-driven approach is crucial for understanding the benefits of patient engagement and how to empower patients effectively.
Grant recounted a story from his time as an Operations Manager responsible for teaching environmental-services staff how to engage with patients. One of his best housekeepers, a meticulous cleaner, was reluctant to talk to patients, much less hand out standardized "housekeeper introduction" cards. She had concerns about her handwriting, about bothering patients, and about her own confidence. Rather than forcing her to follow a script, Grant asked how she would like to connect with patients. This approach exemplifies the concept of the patient being part of the healthcare team and how an employee's role affects patient experience and colleague relationships.
Not only was it okay—it was a game-changer. Suddenly, patients began displaying her artwork on walls, windows, and even nurse stations. "She became the hospital's mascot," Grant recalls. "A few months later, a patient's spouse called to say her husband, who passed away, was buried with three of those drawings." This touching anecdote serves as an example of empowerment in health and social care, showcasing how personalized care can make a profound impact.
In addition to touching people's hearts, that housekeeper's approach substantially improved patient feedback. What might have remained a check-the-box initiative—signing name cards—became something that genuinely brought comfort and personal connection. It exemplifies how focusing on the individual strengths and personalities of frontline staff can do more than any script or standardized form. This approach not only enhances patient empowerment but also contributes to employee empowerment and motivation.
One factor that consistently correlates with high patient-satisfaction scores is how an organization treats its support staff. You can walk into a hospital floor and instantly sense whether the culture is inclusive and empathic: Are environmental-services employees treated like core members of the team, with a seat at the break room table? Do housekeepers and nurses know each other's names, or even each other's pets? Are there visible signs that frontline staff are integrated into the broader hospital community? These elements contribute to a safety culture and foster continuous improvement in healthcare organizations.
According to Grant, hospitals with a "vendor mindset"—where EVS, food service, and patient transport are siloed—often see chronically low patient-experience scores. In contrast, institutions where every department is woven into a cohesive tapestry tend to earn higher marks. "If you walk up to a unit and see that housekeepers and nurses collaborate, that's a good sign," he notes. "They share break rooms and they share compassion. Scores almost always follow suit." This collaborative approach is essential for creating an environment of psychological safety and shared decision-making.
This principle applies beyond housekeeping. "Pick any industry," Grant says. "If you want to boost employee engagement, you need to invite them into the process." That could mean encouraging a patient transporter to share input on how to navigate the hospital more efficiently, or allowing a food-services worker to test out new menu ideas. When staff see their ideas put into action—and credited to them—they become more invested in their day-to-day roles. This level of employee enablement is crucial for improving employee morale in healthcare and ultimately enhancing patient outcomes.
One of the biggest hurdles in healthcare leadership today is time. Department heads and mid-level managers juggle multiple responsibilities, from contract negotiations and regulatory compliance to patient crises. Fitting in meaningful staff education on patient-satisfaction scores can be daunting. This challenge underscores the importance of leadership development in healthcare organizations.
Yet, as Grant highlights, no major cultural change happens without investing time in people. His team at Compass One Healthcare has intentionally set aside hours—often spanning several weeks—to walk frontline staff through actual satisfaction data. Instead of delivering a quick, impersonal lecture, they bring staff into the process of interpreting analytics, filtering by unit or time period, and seeing how they can individually move the needle. This approach not only enhances employee engagement but also contributes to patient empowerment by ensuring that all staff understand their role in the patient experience.
Connecting the why behind the metrics has real-world impact, even if it isn't easy to measure immediately. The analytics also close the loop. Otherwise, staff might feel patient surveys are an abstract concept—extra "paperwork" for leadership's sake. With clear, consistent communication, employees begin to realize their power in shaping outcomes. This realization is a key component of employee empowerment and can significantly impact patient advocacy efforts.
From a financial perspective, demonstrating the ROI of frontline engagement can be challenging. HCAHPS responses sometimes lag 45 to 90 days, and the effects of a single training program can take even longer to appear in survey data. Additionally, identifying which specific interventions drive improvement can be complex—often, it's the accumulation of multiple small changes. These challenges highlight the need for patient experience organizations to develop comprehensive strategies for measuring and improving healthcare quality.
Nonetheless, leaders like Grant believe in the long-term returns of investing in staff empowerment. Efforts to engage, educate, and inspire housekeeping, transport, and food-service teams can ripple throughout an organization and enhance patient trust. Higher satisfaction may translate into stronger reputations, better reimbursement rates, and an environment where everyone—patients, families, staff—feels valued. This approach not only improves patient outcomes but also contributes to employee retention and overall healthcare workforce stability.
There is no "magic bullet" solution. Instead, the process involves patient capital—time, empathy, and meaningful relationship-building at every level. As Grant puts it, "Leaders have to be willing to slow down enough to let staff do what they do best. And if you try to put that in a spreadsheet, you might not get the full picture right away, but you'll see it eventually in the stories of grateful patients and families." This perspective underscores the importance of patient activation and long-term investment in healthcare challenges.
Frontline Staff Are Essential to Patient Experience Housekeepers, food-service teams, and patient transporters spend hours each day interacting with patients and their families. Recognizing their value—and teaching them how to engage—can dramatically improve patient-satisfaction scores and contribute to patient empowerment.
Explain the Why Employees are more likely to embrace new tasks if they understand the purpose behind them. Connecting the dots between HCAHPS data and daily duties goes a long way toward encouraging genuine engagement and fostering a culture of patient-centred care.
Empower Through Personal Strengths Standard scripts and checklists have their place, but giving employees the freedom to connect with patients in ways that suit their personalities can create memorable experiences. One person's coloring-book gesture could mean the world to a patient and serve as an example of personalized care.
Cultivate a Culture of Respect Where leadership and clinicians treat support staff as integral members of the healthcare team, the environment shifts toward empathy, inclusivity, and collaboration. These cultural characteristics often correspond with higher patient-satisfaction results and contribute to overall employee well-being.
Invest the Time to Educate Amid the pressures of budget cuts and staffing constraints, it's tempting to sideline staff-development efforts. However, dedicating time to training, discussion, and relationship-building may ultimately yield the best returns for patients, staff, and the bottom line. This investment is crucial for improving employee morale in healthcare.
Patience with the Data ROI can be difficult to measure in real time, and HCAHPS surveys often have a lengthy lag. Effective leaders balance quantitative data with qualitative insights, knowing that culture shifts don't happen overnight. This approach is essential for understanding the long-term benefits of patient engagement.
As healthcare continues to evolve, Compass One Healthcare's story shows the growing importance of comprehensive patient experience strategies. These efforts aren't limited to clinical interventions; they also encompass every moment a patient spends in a hospital, from how they're greeted at the door to the cleanliness and comfort of the room they occupy. This holistic approach is fundamental to patient empowerment and shared decision-making in healthcare.
Leaders like Grant Randall remind us that the best patient experiences often emerge when frontline teams feel heard, respected, and empowered to bring their whole selves to their work. In many ways, the question is not whether the warmth and dedication of environmental-services staff matter—it's how to harness that dedication and integrate it into a broader culture of caring. This perspective aligns with the concept of employee advisory groups and their potential to drive positive change in healthcare organizations.
Ultimately, the secret sauce of high patient-satisfaction scores may lie in an organization's willingness to look beyond transactional tasks and cultivate an environment where everyone takes pride in their role. When each employee embraces their part—no matter how hidden behind the scenes—it translates into a powerful, collective impact on patient well-being. This approach not only enhances patient empowerment but also contributes to employee satisfaction and overall healthcare quality.
About CX Matters
CX Matters is a production of the American Journal of Healthcare Strategy, dedicated to exploring emerging trends and best practices in patient experience. For more in-depth conversations with leaders like Grant Randall, visit our website or subscribe to the podcast on your preferred streaming platform.
