Published on: 21 February 2022
A hospital porter, dubbed a “walking encyclopaedia of knowledge” of the job and a manager who rose through the ranks to take a top role, are in the running for for national awards.
Keith Bellfield is nominated for the MyPorter Awards' Dennis Southern Award for Endeavour while Mark Turner, Head of Portering and Security, is up for the Leadership of the Year title.
They work for City Hospitals Independent Sunderland Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE), a subsidiary company of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust which provides estates and facilities management services.
Keith Bellfield and Mark Turner have been nominated in the 2022 MyPorter Awards.
Bosses say Keith, who has 38 years of experience, is a “fabulous employee and a huge asset to our department."
They say his customer service is outstanding and he has an unrivalled knowledge of the job.
In 2016, Keith lost his wife following a long term illness.
He stepped down from a portering role to allow him to care for their son and instead took on the role of a waste porter to allow him to have a better work life balance.
He quickly got to grips with the role and suggested improvements to make the team’s work more efficient and improve patient care.
His manager Claire Dodds said: “Keith’s efforts not only benefit the entire department, but set an example and inspire his co-workers.
“Despite the overwhelming amount of work everyone has had to do, the impact of the ongoing pandemic and Keith’s personal circumstances, he always finds ways to help others.
“His willingness to assist others and his commitment to educating and supporting new staff is unequalled.”
Mark joined the NHS more than 20 years ago as a part-time porter while at university and has been in his current role for seven years.
Among his recent achievements is the launch of a new portering system which co-ordinates 400 tasks a day.
He also played a key role in the response by CHoICE and the Trust to the ‘Beast from the East’ in 2018, helping deploy 4x4 vehicles to make sure staff could get to and from work despite the bad weather.
His nomination notes his “happy workforce", the respect he has earned across CHoICE and Trust in regards to how he has helped many others to develop their own careers.
It adds: “Mark leads by example and genuinely cares about every one of his staff.
“He will go out of his way to help anyone who needs it, even offering support whilst not at work.
“His strong morals, integrity and empathy show in everything he says and does."
The award winners will be announced this Thursday, February 24.
Wayne Carr, Director of CHoICE, said: “The MyPorter awards raise the profile of the important and highly valued work of NHS portering teams.
“Our portering colleagues work across a number of areas in the healthcare services and play a vital role in ensuring that CHoICE enable the delivery of safe and high-quality patient care.
“The pandemic has very much highlighted how much we rely on our Estates and Facilities colleagues and how the team have been pivotal in ensuring front line services were maintained.
“Mark and Keith are well deserving of this honour.
“They are both exemplary members of the team and I am proud of all that they have achieved.”
