Hospital porter

You would help patients in hospitals to get around the building. You’d deliver vital supplies and equipment to keep the hospital running smoothly.

You would help people who are in hospital by helping them to move around the building, for example, going from a ward to the x-ray department.

You would help a person into a wheelchair or on to hospital trolley. You’d take them to the right place at the right time and bring them back to their ward.

You would:

• Move patients to and from wards and departments

• Deal with incoming and outgoing mail

• Deliver clean linen to wards from the laundry

• Collect domestic and clinical waste, some of which may be hazardous

• Move furniture and medical equipment safely

• Transfer files, specimen samples and pharmacy boxes to different parts of the hospital

• Move patients who have died to the mortuary

Patients may be frightened or in pain; you’ll need to be friendly and helpful, and cope well when people are sick or distressed.

You’ll need to keep calm and act quickly in emergencies. You’d also have to cope with difficult situations, including the death.

Your work could take you anywhere on the hospital site. In some hospitals you could help with security, such as working on the reception desk and doing patrols.

You can see more about this role in the National Health Service on the Portering staff page on the NHS Careers website.

• Disclosure Scotland – more about the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme

• NHS Education for Scotland – Training for the healthcare workforce including higher education and professional development