Overview
Hospital porters move patients from one part of a hospital to another. They may be moved on special hospital trolleys or in wheelchairs. Hospital porters also move other things, such as equipment. They take meals and clean sheets to the hospital wards and take post around the hospital.
Activities
- Move patients, in beds or wheelchairs, between wards and departments
- Deliver clean linen to wards
- Collect 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 deceased patients to the mortuary
- Deal with post and parcels
Organisations
Most hospital porters are employed in the NHS.
Workplace
Hospital porters work in hospitals and mainly indoors. The job involves a lot of walking.
Working Hours
Hospital porters usually work 39 hours a week. This may include evenings, nights and weekends.
Salary
Starting salary is around £18,000.
Qualifications
You do not need to pass set school exams to become a hospital porter as each NHS trust will have their own requirements. Many NHS trusts offer supported internships where you could access this role. You can apply directly to NHS trusts to get into this job. Work experience in a healthcare setting will be useful though not essential. It might help if you have a manual handling or health and safety certificate, although your employer will train you on these when you start.