National acclaim for hospital porter 

A porter from University Hospitals Dorset has been recognised for his services and dedication to the NHS.

Paul MacKay received a finalist nomination in the Dennis Southern Lifetime Achievement category at the MyPorter Awards 2023 in association with NHS England, a national celebration of portering teams and individuals who go above and beyond in their roles.

Speaking about his reasons for nomination, Stuart Williams, UHD porter and security manager, said: “Paul started with the NHS in 1995 and has served ever since. He has seen many changes, managers and colleagues come and go, and has ridden through all this while offering a wealth of experience, reliability, sense of duty and respect to his team, and our patients and visitors.”

“In February 2022 Paul suffered a serious physical attack from a patient, leaving him suffering from severe head trauma. Paul dealt with the whole incident, recovery and return to work as a professional, extending his consideration to the patient who inflicted the attack as a consequence of the patient’s personal suffering.”

“Paul gave full support to his management to administer occupational health support, and collaborated to provide a proactive return to work that included a return restraint support amongst the porter team at appropriate incidents.”

“Paul has now fully returned to operational duties over the past nine months and has showed enormous strength of character to continue in his role; supporting our porter service, the trust, and the NHS. I am incredibly proud of him.”

Speaking following the awards ceremony, Paul said: “It was an enjoyable experience and nice to see porters receive recognition. I was nervous as to what to expect but this soon changed when the ceremony took place and I was awarded a certificate in recognition of being a finalist for the lifetime achievement category. I would like to hope that this opportunity is given to many more porters in the future.”