A&E/General Porter

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Shortstown; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced A&E/General Porter to join the General Portering Team. The role focuses on transporting patients, records, equipment and supplies across wards and departments, with primary duties in the Accident and Emergency Department.

You will work under the Portering Services Manager and Duty Chargehand Porter. The post holder will be part of a busy hospital environment, delivering a high standard of service, maintaining patient safety,

Qualifications

• English language proficiency is required, both written and spoken.
• GCSE English or equivalent qualifications required.
• GCSE English Grade C or above preferred.
• Previous portering or healthcare support experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Transport patients, records, equipment, and supplies between wards and departments.
• Collect pathology specimens and blood products as needed.
• Deliver to A&E, X-ray, Outpatients and Pharmacy; respond to inquiries.
• Move linen and assist in security and emergency duties.
• Assist in transfers of deceased patients to the mortuary.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication skills

Customer care

English language

Medical gas handling knowledge

Education

GCSE English or equivalent

GCSE English Grade C or above

Job description

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

A&E/General Porter

The closing date is 20 November 2026

The post holder will be a member of the General Portering Team and will provide a comprehensive portering service to all wards and departments, as directed by the Portering Services Manager, Head Porter, or Duty Chargehand Porter.

Core duties will include the transportation of patients, records, equipment, specimens, and supplies, together with other tasks as detailed in this job description.

The post holder will be based primarily within the Accident and Emergency Department.

Main duties of the job

• Collect and transport pathology specimens.
• Collect medical gases and other supplies from stores, transport them to wards and departments, and assemble equipment where necessary.
• Change medical gas cylinders in manifold rooms.
• Deal with general enquiries from staff, patients, visitors, and members of the public in a helpful, professional, and courteous manner.
• Transport patients to and from wards and departments, including the Accident and Emergency Department, as required.
• Transfer deceased patients to the mortuary and assist with viewings as directed.
• Carry the appropriate bleep and undertake departmental duties as directed, including within A&E, X-Ray, Outpatients, and Pharmacy.
• Undertake general portering duties, including furniture and equipment removals.
• Deal with general enquiries from staff, patients, visitors, and members of the public in a helpful, professional, and courteous manner.
• Collect blood products from the Blood Bank as requested and maintain accurate records in the appropriate ledger before delivering them to wards and departments.
• Carry the appropriate general or departmental bleep and mobile handset, as directed.
• Assist in the event of a fire, major incident, or security alert in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.
• Undertake planned and ad hoc security duties as directed.
• Challenge and verify the identity of any individual arousing suspicion and report any incidents in accordance with Trust procedures.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services, including Accident & Emergency (A&E), Obstetrics-led Maternity, and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high-performing Trust committed to supporting staff health and wellbeing. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in the region, you will have access to high-quality training and development opportunities to support your career progression. The Trust remains committed to delivering outstanding patient care through the latest clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our Values

We recruit not only on qualifications and experience, but also on the behaviours that underpin our Trust's core values. We achieve this through a values-based recruitment approach. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion while creating a culture that values and celebrates differences. Please note that vacancies may close before the advertised closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period during their first six months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review attached documents to familiarise yourself with the requirements of the role.

Job responsibilities

The Job Description and Person Specification are attached to this vacancy. Please review these documents for full details of the role and its responsibilities.

• Distribute clean linen to all wards and departments as part of the emergency out-of-hours service.
• Collect and transport pathology specimens.
• Collect medical gases and other supplies from stores, transport them to wards and departments, and assemble equipment where necessary.
• Change medical gas cylinders in manifold rooms.
• Deal with general enquiries from staff, patients, visitors, and members of the public in a helpful and courteous manner.
• Be prepared to transport patients to, from, and between wards and departments as required.

Qualifications

• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
• GCSE English or equivalent
• GCSE or equivalent English Grade C or above

Experience

• Previous experience of working as part of a team
• Previous experience of working with the public
• Previous experience of working as a Hospital Porter

Knowledge

• Ability to prioritise workload
• Demonstrates an open, reflective, and warm approach
• Customer care skills
• Knowledge of medical gas handling

Personal Skills

• Ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Enthusiastic, self-aware, and flexible approach to work
• Reliable, adaptable, and dependable

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust