What does a hospital porter do?

As a hospital porter, you could: transfer patients between wards and departments deliver meals and clean linen to wards dispose of clinical waste, some of which may be hazardous move furniture and medical equipment safely take records, samples and pharmacy supplies to different parts of the hospital move deceased…

How do you become a hospital porter?

You can get into this job through volunteering.

How much does a hospital porter earn?

Starter salaries are around £25,000 a year, rising to about £27,000 with experience.

How many hours does a hospital porter work?

Typically 37 to 42 hours a week.

Hospital porter

Hospital porters move patients, equipment and medical supplies to where they are needed in a hospital.

Starter salary£25,000 a year
Experienced£27,000 a year
Typical hours37 to 42 a week

What you'll do

As a hospital porter, you could:

transfer patients between wards and departments
deliver meals and clean linen to wards
dispose of clinical waste, some of which may be hazardous
move furniture and medical equipment safely
take records, samples and pharmacy supplies 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.

Your working environment may be physically active.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

customer service skills
sensitivity and understanding
the ability to work well with others
a desire to help people
excellent verbal communication skills
knowledge of public safety and security
the ability to understand people's reactions
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

How to become a hospital porter

You can get into this job by applying directly.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

Direct application

You can apply directly to get into this job. Work experience in a healthcare setting will be useful, although 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. Customer service experience can also be useful.

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.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

pass enhanced background checks

Career path and progression

With experience, you could progress to team leader or supervisor. Your employer may support you to work towards qualifications in supervision and management.

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Guides for this industry

Health & Social Care: pay, interviews and getting started →

Related roles

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0