Porter | North Bristol NHS Trust

North Bristol NHS; Bristol; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Bristol seeks a Portering Assistant to ensure efficient patient support services. Responsibilities include the movement of patients and medical products, maintaining hygiene standards of portering equipment, and assisting in emergency situations. The ideal candidate should have good communication skills, a team-oriented mindset, and relevant training or experience in customer services. This role requires physical effort and the ability to work in a sensitive manner around patients.

Qualifications

• Understanding of Portering activities and processes.
• Understanding of Health and Safety policies.
• Ability to work sensitively around patients.

Responsibilities

• Movement of patients, products, and equipment.
• Cleaning of Portering equipment and delivering blood products.
• Responding to Major incidents.

Skills

Good verbal communication skills

Teamwork

Basic IT skills

Education

Customer and support services or equivalent experience to an NVQ Level 2

Tools

Portering equipment

Job description

Overview

To work as part of the operational team responsible for providing a comprehensive patient support service in the hospital environment. This will involve carrying out the following Facilities Management functions:

• The primary function is the movement of patients, consumable products, waste, furniture, medical equipment, gasses, beds, mattresses etc.
• The cleaning of all Portering equipment, delivery of blood products and responding to Major incident.
• To deliver emergency blood products

To provide a high quality responsive, efficient and effective patient support service to wards, and departments in North Bristol NHS Trust acting in a caring and professional manner.

Knowledge

• Understanding of Portering activities
• Understanding of Department and Trust Health and Safety policies, written safe systems of work and Department rules and procedures
• Understanding of Portering equipment processes
• Understanding and knowledge of pathology procedures for movement of blood products

Training

• Customer and support services or equivalent experience to an NVQ Level 2
• Mandatory training as required for the role
• Collection and transportation of blood products
• Trust, Patient Support/Directorate Services induction training
• On the job induction training

Experience

• Working a busy multi-faceted environment
• Working a team based environment

Communication & Relational skills

• Good verbal communication skills
• Ability to work as a member of a team
• Good literacy and numeracy skills
• Ability to work in a sensitive and unobtrusive manner around patients
• Ability to use relevant electrical equipment safely
• Ability to clean and maintain all Portering equipment in line with hygiene practices and protocols
• Ability to assist in and demonstrate duties and operating procedures and good practice guides without the need for direct supervision
• Be flexible in carrying out duties as instructed by Patient Support Team Leaders and relevant managers in accordance with the Departmental Rules and Procedures
• Basic IT skills

Organisational Context

North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

Equality & Inclusion

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.

Physical Effort

• Duties involve standing/walking for long periods of time during the shift
• Duties may involve undertaking physically demanding tasks e.g. moving cages of approximately 300kg in weight as and when required

Mental Effort

• Being aware of health and safety implications involved in duties and their potential effect on others e.g. Ensuring that equipment is stored appropriately
• At ward level keeping a professional distance from patients and ensuring confidentiality at all times
• Working to schedules which may be subject to change

Emotional Effort

• Whilst working at ward level being able to cope with witnessing distressing sights of patients who are very ill and may be at the end stages of life
• Whilst working in the Emergency Department witnessing traumatic injuries
• In the course of your duties you will need to be sensitive when coming into contact with patients and members of the public who may be experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety or are confrontational or under the influence of alcohol

This advert closes on Thursday 18 Sep 2025