Bank Porter

Overview

We\’re looking for compassionate, reliable, and proactive individuals to join our Portering team on a bank basis. As a Bank Porter, you will play a vital role in supporting the smooth running of hospital operations, ensuring patients and essential items are safely and efficiently transported across the site.

This is a varied role involving both routine tasks (such as Pharmacy runs) and ad-hoc requests, including support during emergency and security incidents. As many tasks involve direct patient contact, a friendly nature and excellent communication skills are essential.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Safely move patients between departments, wards, and treatment areas.
• Transport medical equipment, supplies, and other patient care-related items.
• Carry out routine and ad-hoc portering tasks across the hospital.
• Respond promptly to emergency and security incidents.
• Maintain a professional and compassionate approach at all times.

Benefits of Joining Our Bank Team

• Flexible working hours to suit your lifestyle.
• Opportunity to gain experience in a hospital environment.
• Supportive team environment.
• Access to NHS discounts and benefits.

Main duties of the job

Respond to reactive jobs within agreed response times. Complete routine jobs at agreed times. Prioritise work according to the immediate needs of the Hospital. React as necessary in a Fire or Security incident. Use initiative when responding to emergencies: Cardiac; Paediatric; Trauma and Stroke. Be the lead expert when lifting fallen patients using the hover jack. Be aware of the necessity of frequent exposure to dirt, dust and smells.

About us

Simply Serve Limited aims to provide a high quality environment and efficient services. We are passionate about our services and making a difference for our clients and their customers and service users.

We provide a fully managed estates, facilities and other services to Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. This involves providing the Trusts clinical staff with the environment, equipment and consumables required to provide excellent healthcare to patients. Our services are broad and include all of the Trusts procurement and logistics management, running of the estate, IT services and other essential services.

Simply Serve Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust which provides a broad range of services to Yeovil Hospital and other NHS sites.

Job description

Job responsibilities

• The movement of patients by wheelchair, stretcher or bed.
• The escorting or directing of patients and visitors.
• The lifting of fallen patients in Wards or departments (but not to perform nursing duties).
• The movement of medical equipment and furniture around the site as directed by the Portering Supervisor or the Security and Logistics Manager.
• To provide support to nursing or other staff in relation to difficult situations where patients may have permanent or temporary mental incapacity which could either cause harm to the patient, endanger others or to cause damage. This will be at the direction of clinical staff.
• The movement of the deceased to the Mortuary in a respectful manner, ensuring appropriate checks are made prior to removal of deceased from Ward/department and correct details recorded appropriately upon attendance in Mortuary.
• The cleaning and charging of PM trolley, used for the movement of deceased patients.
• To be responsible for the collection of blood and blood components. Ensuring correct patient checks are carried out and the subsequent delivery of those products.
• To act as Fire Marshall during fire alarms, ensuring staff, patients and visitors do not move around the hospital whilst the alarm is sounding and thereby putting themselves and fire crews at potential risk of harm. Assisting Fire Brigade when necessary.
• The collection and transfer within the Hospital of files, including from Medical Secretary\’s offices and elsewhere in the Trust, pharmaceuticals, specimens, linen and any other items that are deemed necessary to transfer in the correct manner with the exception of records in bulk.
• To ensure that the correct Pharmaceutical items are picked and delivered to the Wards.
• The changing of medical gas cylinders when required, in accordance with the correct procedures held within the Medical Gas manifold rooms.
• Delivery of medical gases to Wards/departments as required.
• To report all untoward or suspicious incidents occurring in the Hospital or its grounds to the Portering Supervisor (or Clinical Site Manager in their absence).
• Operate manual handling equipment on receipt of appropriate training.
• To carry radio communication equipment whilst on shift and respond politely in a timely manner when Portering Supervisor or another team member requires assistance. To be aware that confidential information must not be discussed via radio communication devices.
• To perform, when required, as the Portering member on the Crash Resuscitation Team on occasions when a Portering Supervisor is not available.
• To carry and deliver the correct equipment to the emergency location.
• Logging of all tasks to assist management in identifying where service improvements can be made.
• To carry out any Portering duties as requested by the Portering Supervisor or Security and Portering Manager.
• The cleaning of all Hospital wheelchairs on a daily basis using alco-wipes or other recognised preparations.
• The attendance to security incidents inside and outside the Trust\’s properties under the supervision of the Security and Logistics Manager, Portering Supervisor or the Clinical Site Manager.
• To perform duties appropriate to the grade in any department or elsewhere in the hospital at the discretion of management.
• Comply with all SSL Policies and Procedures including (but not exclusively), Quality, Environmental Equality, Diversity, Safety, Human Resources and Financial.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• General level of education or equivalent experience (E)
• Literacy and Numeracy (E)

Experience

Desirable

• Previous experience of portering or other hospital work (D)
• Previous experience of storage and handling of medical gas (D)
• Experience of shift working (D)

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Able to undertake the physical aspects/manual handling of the role, including (for example), operation of equipment, movement of stock, standing for long periods of time (E)
• Aware of frequent exposure to verbal or physical aggression.
• Aware of the frequent requirement for concentration including mental effort, workload is unpredictable and routinely interrupted.
• Ability to work under pressure and remain calm and pleasant
• Good communication skills
• IT skills to be able to access trust information and log portering jobs

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Yeovil District Hospital

Higher Kingston

Yeovil

Somerset

BA21 4AT

Employer\’s website

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