NHS England has published the first ever national standards for healthcare portering services. The 22 standards aim to establish a consistent and high-quality framework for the delivery of safe, effective and patient-centred portering services across NHS organisations in England. They recognise the professionalism and value of portering teams, whilst also supporting greater visibility, consistency and leadership.
The standards are designed to be adaptable, so organisations can tailor implementation to local service models and patient needs, whilst setting and maintaining a clear and consistent national approach.
The standards are underpinned by a maturity matrix and NHSE will monitor progress against the standards through PAM (Premises Assurance Model).
NHSE clarifies that although there are 22 standards, not all will apply to every portering service. The maturity matrix will enable organisations to assess themselves against only the standards that are relevant to their service.
22 portering standards
• Policies, procedures and instructions
• Management capability
• Training
• Business continuity planning
• Infection prevention and control
• Risk management
• Emergency procedures
• Personal protective equipment
• Control of substances hazardous to health
• Waste management
• Security and CCTV
• Transportation and movement of patients
• Transportation and storage of medical gases
• Helicopter procedures: arrival and departure
• Equipment
• Transfer of deceased patients to the mortuary
• Transportation and movement of laundry and linen
• Transportation of food
• Transportation of specimens and blood products
• Audit and monitoring
• Key performance indicators.
Download the full standards, with detailed overview of each.
