Accessibility tools

Porter

Porters are the heartbeat of NHS hospitals, making sure crucial goods and items are delivered where they are needed most. They also make sure patients are at the right place at the right time to get the treatment they need.

A porter could be moving

  • patients on trolleys or in wheelchairs
  • stores and equipment
  • samples of patients' blood
  • linens
  • post and parcels
  • waste
  • cylinders of gas
  • trolleys of food and drink

Depending on where they work in a hospital, they may have other duties including

  • cleaning and tidying outside areas and gritting in cold weather
  • cleaning indoors
  • replacing curtains round beds

Their job title will usually reflect your duties, for example

  • catering services porter
  • security/porter
  • dirty linen and waste porter
  • operating theatre porter
  • kitchen porter
  • assistant housekeeper/porter

Some porters may drive an NHS vehicle around an NHS site or between sites.