The role of ethnic health staff in hospitals has not been clearly articulated for managers and practitioners. This paper describes findings from a study based on ethnic and allied health staff interviews and observations of ethnic health staff interactions. Care was provided to language concordant patients directly and by assisting practitioners to work within the patient’s cultural paradigms and family schema. The scope of practice involved: engaging patients in a therapeutic relationship, patient assessment, linking assessment with care options, facilitating communication between patients and practitioners, education, smoothing hospital experiences, referral and interpreting. Ethnic health staff displayed a range of specialised skills that managers need to harness within multidisciplinary teams to reach patients from diverse backgrounds.