Portering

Portering services in NHS Scotland

Portering Services play a key role in underpinning clinical services within the NHS and are often the first members of staff with whom the patient and/or visitor has contact with.

Interaction with patients and visitors is usual when transferring them to other wards or departments for treatment. Porters play a key role in enabling departments and services link and work with each other and as such they have an important role in the effective running of hospitals.

What we do

Evolved roles and responsibilities of porters have greatly increased over recent years and the demands on the service provided by Portering Services have changed significantly to meet new services as they are introduced whilst adhering to statutory and legislative requirements.

Porters are responsible for moving patients and products including supplies such as medical gas, post, clinical specimens, blood, and waste around hospitals and have to do this safely and securely.

Safe and compliant

Automated Dispatcherless Porter Task Tracking System

A task allocation and management system designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the portering service throughout NHSScotland. Using a handheld device, porters can monitor the requested tasks and book them based on priority, starting time, porter availability, location and local knowledge about which tasks are more important to be carried out first. This enables hospital services to operate more efficiently and effectively.

Portering Services Standards for NHSScotland (SHFN 02-01)

These standards are intended to address the challenges facing Portering Services and they describe the minimum level of quality and safety around which Portering Services across Scotland can be standardised and provide a springboard for improvement.

Download the Portering Services Standards for NHSScotland.

Get in touch

To find out more about how portering and security services can help you, please email nss.hfsenquiries@nhs.scot.