Hospital Porter

Typical Salary

£18,005 To £21,142

Typical Hours

40 to 42 a week

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How To Become a Hospital Porter

You can get into this job through:

applying directly

College / University

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship are not listed for this job.

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You can apply directly to get into this job. Work experience in a healthcare setting will be useful though not essential.

You'll normally need a good standard of literacy and numeracy. Some employers may ask for GCSEs in English and maths, or equivalent qualifications.

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.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

sensitivity and understanding
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
customer service skills
the ability to work well with others
to enjoy working with other people
excellent verbal communication skills
thinking and reasoning skills
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

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

Working Environment

You could work in an NHS or private hospital.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could progress to team leader or supervisor. You may need to have, or be working towards, qualifications in supervision and management.

You could also move into a related role like the ambulance service, healthcare assistant work, or nursing.

Volunteering Opportunities

You may find it useful to get voluntary experience in a hospital or a care home.

You can contact the voluntary services co-ordinator or manager at your local NHS trust for more details.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a hospital porter from Health Careers.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

pass enhanced background checks