Meet the Team – Porters from our Facilities Department – Birmingham Women’s Hospital

As porters working at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, we play a key role in providing services to the women of Birmingham when having a baby or receiving treatment across our departments. Whether it be greeting or guiding them to where they need to be or assisting in the movement between the departments, the porter team are there to help. We also support the behind-the-scenes services that keep the operation of the hospital alive to ensure our patients have the best experience when at BWH. As a team we co-ordinate our responsibilities between us, such as pharmacy delivery, specimen collection and waste management.

The importance of the porter’s role in the patient experience is often understated. We are usually the first person someone will see during their visit to the hospital. As a consequence, it is vital in our role to be a positive person and have a good rapport with our patients.

The role of the porters has its pressures, and it is a physically demanding job. We are always busy with jobs whether that be collecting waste, moving equipment, or escorting patients. The role requires kind, compassionate people with a drive to provide the best service possible, something all the porters pride themselves on.

Some aspects of our work are scheduled but of course emergency situations arise. This may require patients to be transported within minutes, so we often face high pressure situations. Prioritising tasks can be hard but patient safety is at the forefront of everything we do. Our aim is to get people to where they need to be, as safely and as efficiently as possible.

We are all immensely proud of the role we play at BWH and find it rewarding helping the public and the other team members at BWH through our supportive service.

 

The BWH Portering Team are:

Daniel Thornewell, Gary Morgan, Steve Clark, Ref Calub, Richelle Torrijos, Michael Williams, Daniel Bennett, Tracy Baker, Michael Tingley, Earl Walker, Luke Cartwright, Steve Dixon, Vincent Faherty, Roland Damoah, Damian Morris Hallem, Gary Marley, Neil Stables, Neil Collins.