Portering and Security Officer

Our Trust have an exciting opportunity available to join our newly formed Portering and Security Team.

As a Portering and Security Officer, you will have a varied portfolio which ranges from transporting patients and equipment around the site to protecting our staff, patients and visitors.

If you are able to demonstrate tact, diplomacy, kindness and maintain composure under pressure, we would like to hear from you.

Main duties include, but are not limited to:

• Transportation of patients in beds, wheelchair and trolleys from wards to departments
• Maintaining the security of our site through proactive patrolling
• Responded quickly to emergency calls for situations such as fire, antisocial behaviour, aggression or violence.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) King’s Lynn is located near some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK, along the north Norfolk coast, and not far from Sandringham House.

We provide a comprehensive range of specialist, acute, obstetrics and community-based healthcare services to around 331,000 people across west and north Norfolk, in addition to parts of Breckland, Cambridgeshire and South Lincolnshire. We have more than 4,000 staff and volunteers, approximately 530 beds, and a helipad for air ambulances. We work with neighbouring hospitals for the provision of tertiary services, including as part of regional partnership and network models of care, such as the trauma network. Some specialist services and clinics are provided in community facilities, such as the North Cambridgeshire hospital in Wisbech.

In February 2022, the significant progress that has been made at QEH in just three years since 2019 was recognised by the Care Quality Commission who rated the Trust as ‘Good’ in all of the core services they inspected, and recommended the Trust moves out of the recovery support system (formerly special measures). We have an absolute determination to continuously improve care and services for our patients and their families.

Job Description

Responsible for providing a uniformed specialist service. Ensuring that patients, visitors and staff are given advice and provided with a safe and secure environment in line with legislation and particularly in emergency situations. This will include communication with emergency services.

Protect people and property, detecting and preventing crime including operating and controlling an access control, CCTV and key control systems.

Fundamental to the role will be dealing with issues regarding challenging particular patients, visitors and staff, where difficult circumstances prevail (e.g. smokers, abuse issues, car park incidents and unwelcome visitors). The post holder will provide a customer focused service to patients, staff and visitors. The trust has a policy and guidance for the prevention and management of violent and abusive behaviour, this role will involve aiding in applying the agreed techniques.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities
1. To assist in the provision of an efficient and effective Portering and Security Service to all Wards and Departments in accordance with established procedures.
2. To be responsible for the transportation of blood collections and specimens.
3. To assist with all bed movements around the site, dealing with stressed and anxious patients and relatives in a courteous and sympathetic manner.
4. As required, under the supervision of the nursing staff, assist with the movement of patients in accordance with the policies for patient movement.
5. To employ appropriate skills to diffuse and de-escalate aggressive behaviour and physically assist in restraining violent and confused patients.
6. Operating the CCTV System as and when required.
7. To carry out security patrols of the hospital and its surrounding site, ensuring that a high profile is maintained.
8. To have a sound knowledge of the layout of the hospital and the location of departments (including plant rooms) and to be clear about fire, fumes and chemical alerts and MAJINC procedures.
9. To be responsible for the changing of all medical gases on the Wards and Departments.
10. To carry out procedures in the event of a major fire alert, the safe and efficient evacuation of staff and patients.
11. To act with respect and dignity in removing bodies of patients who have died within the hospital to the mortuary.
12. There may be a requirement to drive hospital vehicles as and when required.
13. To actively participate in the training initiatives as and when required.
14. To undertake cash lifts ensuring that all departmental procedures are followed.
15. To respond to any security incident within an agreed time frame, including the use of reasonable force, if necessary and in line with Trust policy, law and legislation
16. When responding to an incident officers are required to seek clinical advice where available.
17. Any other duties which may be requested by the Facilities Manager or the Supervisors.
18. To promote a pro-security culture within the Trust so that patients and staff accept responsibility for this issue. Whilst ensuring that where security incidents/breaches do occur that they are detected and reported. To actively seek information/intelligence associated with criminal offences committed and to identify suspects and trends.

Corporate Services: http://www.qehkl.nhs.uk/document/divisional-booklets/Introducing_Corporate_Services.pdf