Job Description

The closing date is 26th Nov 2025

Anticipated Interview date(s) 24th November

Job summary

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The main elements of the job role are to ensure that as a team member, you support the Multi-Function Team to deliver the principle of first-class patient care. This will be in the form of patient portering, maintaining a safe and clean environment and very effective communication with colleagues and patients. The MFT will be adaptable to the needs of the hospital, supporting other services within the Facilities portfolio to include Distribution, Switch board and Estates.

This role is a full 24/7 shift pattern, shifts being 8hrs in duration with a 30-minute unpaid break and is covered by the European working time directive guidelines.

The post holder will need to work closely with the Team Leaders.

Main duties, tasks & skills required

-----------------------------------------


Safe transfer of patients around the hospital.


Safe movement of equipment, samples and medical supplies around the hospital.

About us

------------


At

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

Flexible working options

to help you balance work and life

NHS pension scheme

for long-term financial security

Generous annual leave allowance

to recharge and relax A strong focus on

career development

to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you'll gain access to our

Blue Light Card

, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.


We are proud to foster a

diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce

, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset?

Somerset offers the perfect blend of

idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty

, and

breathtaking coastlines

, with vibrant cities like

Bristol

,

Bath

, and

Exeter

just a short drive away - and only two hours to

London

.


The region is home to excellent

educational facilities

, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.

Somerset truly has it all

- the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Job description

-------------------

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication & Working Relationships

To vary the style and level of communication with individuals in order to meet the differing levels of understanding, ensuring equity of access to all. Communicates with all levels of Trust staff face to face, electronically, by telephone and bleep. Develops and maintains a strong working relationship with Department Managers and Nursing Teams. Escalates operational concerns to MFT Team Leader, Facilities Manager or Duty Manager. Daily contact with other Emergency groups, Fire, Police, Ambulance and Helicopter Teams.

Planning & Organisation

Plan and organise straightforward tasks. To organise own work in conjunction with other staff groups to ensure patient care is prioritised. Considers a variety of issues and proposes solutions when dealing with enquires by taking appropriate action as necessary or liaising with others/redirecting queries as appropriate. Ensure correct medical supplies (Pharmacy products) are delivered within time frames required. Report any untoward incidents, accidents, or complaints to the Facilities Team Leader.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment & Therapy

Daily contact with Patients and Visitors, by the way of delivery/collection to/from wards and departments and throughout the Hospital site. When transporting Patients around the Hospital site ensure SOPs are followed to provide a safe environment for them.

Policy, Service, Research & Development Responsibility

Present oneself for work appropriately dressed in issued uniform, displaying identity badge in line with the trust uniform policy. To comply with all standard operating procedures (SOP's). To contribute to the operating procedures and service development Work in a safe manner, observing all Infection Prevention Control measures, health & Safety, COSHH, manual handling.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment & Other Resources

The post holder will use expensive equipment various mechanical handling aids, bleep, radio holder To identify any opportunity that helps reduce waste and improve operating costs.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership & Management

Demonstrates activities and work routines to others in own work area. Responsible for maintaining agreed quality standards of own work. Complete all mandatory training e-learning or face to face also trust surveys.

Information Resources & Administrative Duties

Responsible for recording information using the trust electronic systems. Will complete any required monitoring sheets as part of the role.

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

Respond to emergencies as appropriate.

Cleaning

Immediate response to any calls of spillages on flooring, to make safe in the event of no Cleaning Response Team. Assist the cleaning staff during any emergency or part of a contingency plan, such as a major accident or incident.

Housekeeping

Ensure all public areas of the hospital are clear of equipment, rubbish, linen and other materials by liaising with wards and departments and with the Distribution Team Leader. Train as a Fire warden, this will involve evacuation procedures. The role will also involve the safe shut of fire alarms to allow steam cleaning to take place. Carryout energy usage monitoring in the course of your duties, turn off lights, close windows, turn off taps, etc. Report poor examples of energy management to Estates. Work with the distribution team to ensure all areas are kept clear of equipment/discarded items.

Wayfinding

To act as the first line of contact for visitors and patients when entering the hospital when required via the use of help points. This requires excellent presentation skills and personal tidiness. To assist the public/visitors who enter the Hospital who may require assistance in finding wards/relatives etc, this may involve the post holder finding a wheelchair and using it to assist the person to find a Ward or Department. Support when required the Clinical teams in the event that visitors or patients are found in a distressed or confused state. Liaise and work alongside the Trusts volunteer teams when required.

Fire Warden duties


To attend specific training events in addition to mandatory training


To correct poor housekeeping of hospital streets and fire escapes.


Respond to fire activations and liaise with the clinical site teams, Estates and The Trusts Fire Officer.


To assist in evacuation process if required.

Helipad Duties

On being called by the Team Leader or in their absence Senior MFT, the Post Holder must attend at the Helipad, where the SOP must be adhered to, to allow the safe landing/Take-off of the Helicopter, and the safety of the public/visitors and staff. Each member of the team will have a role to play in this, and given an area to stand, to either, direct traffic, or direct and assist the public. All PPE, as per SOP, must be worn when partaking in the arrival/dispatch of Helicopters.

Maintenance Duties


Assist in carrying out routine minor maintenance duties such as:

Provision of signage in the event of lift breakdown or the failure of other facilities, i.e. public toilets. To assist the public if the lifts are broken down, to enable them to access other floors safely. Inspect plant rooms to ensure they are properly locked. Report any maintenance defects to Estates. Provide a service to Estates related problems such as broken nurse call bells, blocked toilets and sinks. The post holder will be able to deal with these problems and be able to contact on call engineers for anything that may require a skilled operative such as a lift engineer, or electrician. Jobs will be allocated from Estates helpdesk via PDA. Make safe flooring in the event of flooding, ensure signage and barriers are available. As part of the Trusts Winter Plan, the Post holder will be part of the snow/ice clearing team. This includes use of grit spreading equipment on pre agreed walkways.

Portering


To work with other portering staff when the need arises this will include:

Movement of furniture Ad hoc out of hours Linen deliveries and collection of used linen. Blood collection and delivery in the absence of the PCP and out of hours. Search for missing patients Response to major incidents Transporting patients/ visitors by bed/stretcher or chair to all wards and departments, for some of the shift, involving occasional necessity to push and manoeuvre critically ill patients on beds, at running pace, through busy and congested corridors. Removal of deceased patients from the wards to the mortuary, daily using mortuary concealment trolley. Sliding patient from bed to trolley, push trolley to mortuary and slide patient from trolley into cadaver fridge. Assisting Nursing staff with viewing of the deceased by removing cadaver from fridge and placing on viewing trolley, push into chapel of rest and return to fridge after viewing - weekly. Taking deceased infants/babies from the Mortuary to the Hospital Chapel for Private Services.

Person specification

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Qualifications

#

Essential

KNOWLEDGE


Good degree of literacy, accuracy and numeracy


Working Knowledge of Health and Safety at work


PLANNING AND ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS

Ability to manage own time to a rapidly/continually changing timetable Able to prioritise workload Ability to adapt efficiently to organisational change Able to recognise positive and negative organisational cultures

PHYSICAL SKILLS


Physical work forms part of daily practices, as an awareness of equipment within manual handling and lifting guidelines is required

Basic IT Skills Physically able to push loads in a chair, on a trolley/bed for most of your shift Driving skills

OUR VALUES IN PRACTICE

Putting our Patients First One Team Leading and Listening Striving for the Best Together we make the Difference



#

Desirable

Experience of working in a patient or customer-led environment.


Basic IT skills - write and reply to emails. use routine IT packages.


Driving licence is favourable.

Experience

#

Essential

Experience in other patient or customer-facing roles would be an advantage.


Ability to demonstrate and evidence the Trust values of Teamwork, Kindness and Respect.

Additional Criteria

#

Essential

Please refer to the detailed Job Specification.


#

Desirable

Please refer to the detailed Job Specification.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

For help with your application, contact:

Stuart Whittaker


stuart.whittaker@somersetft.nhs.uk


07352742083

Pay scheme

Agenda for Change

Band

Band 2

Salary

24465.00 Yearly

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-Time, Flexible Working

Reference number

184-OL-PU-3603

Job locations

Musgrove Park Hospital

Musgrove Road

Taunton

Somerset

TA1 5DA