Publish date: 22 July 2025
Meet the team in Berwick - Gary Miller
I have worked for the trust for 38 years.
Brief career history?
It started on the 1st December 1987 when I received a letter for an interview for bank Porter/Van Driver at Berwick Infirmary.
Interview date was for the 4th December 1987. I was told at the end of the day I was successful in getting the job and could I turn up for work on Monday 7th December 1987.
On Monday I turned up for work around 9am to be shown /taught how my role would be as a porter at Berwick Infirmary. As I followed the duty porter around learning new skills I thought to myself this is the job I would like for life.
As the week went on, I had an appointment with Greenwoods our local tailor shop in the town centre to be fitted with a new uniform for work. Back then it was bottle green trousers, pale green shirts, bottle green tie and bottle green blazer to wear.
Between 1987-1988 I also learnt the role as a domestic and also catering assistant to get some extra shifts while I was a bank porter.
In 1988 I was offered a full-time post as a porter and never looked back as I am still employed today but my role has changed throughout the years.
I am currently employed as lead porter/supplies officer I got offered this job in 2009. The new job I still get to be a porter at Berwick Infirmary but now I oversee the day to day running of the portering services at Alnwick, Berwick and Blyth Hospitals for their training, appraisals and teaching the safe handling and moving of medical gases which will provide high quality, customer focused efficient portering service to all patients, relatives and staff within the community hospitals.
Why do you love working in Berwick?
As a porter I have get to look after patients from getting them on a wheelchair, bed and trolley from the ward or car park and take them to X-Ray, outpatients and minor injuries, listening to what they wanted to say or concerns they had going to and from an appointment.
As a porter we get to transport, medical gases, parcels, mail, linen, furniture and food to all wards and department interacting with people outside the NHS to nurses, domestics and ward clerks within the NHS.
We also run a patient transport service from Berwick Infirmary to Wansbeck, North Tyneside and NSECH providing free transport for patients to visit their loved ones who are in hospital and return them back safely back to Berwick.
Also look after rotas doing all shift patterns and holiday requests and sickness to be covered which includes 5 porters 2 bank porters at Alnwick, 6 porters 1 bank porter at Berwick and 5 porters 1 bank porter at Blyth.
As a supplies officer I can order, receive and sign off non-stock, stock and domestic stores coming to Berwick Infirmary and delivering them to the correct wards and departments
For the last few years, the Berwick Infirmary has downsized getting ready for our new hospital which has had a knock-on effect for the porters who have helped move furniture, beds, trolley and supplies from the wards and department to other hospitals or into storage.
Can you share a couple of fond memories of working in the infirmary over the years?
I remember when I first started at Berwick Infirmary just before Christmas 1987 and was asked to join the hospital variety group to do a bit of sing and dance on stage for the patients and staff (think there’s a couple of old videos hiding about somewhere).
Another time was when we had to call the vet out because there was a wild otter trapped in physiotherapy department.
How do you feel seeing the new hospital being built?
Looking forward to working in the new hospital. Think it’s great to have theatre coming back to Berwick, having a doctors’ surgery inside the building.
Will be great for the portering team to be interacting with patients and staff in a brand new modern building that has flat corridors!
Where were you born, where do you live and what do you do to relax?
I was born in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead and moved up to Berwick when I was 7 years old.
I live in Berwick and to relax I have quality time with family and friends. My wife and I like to have good look around our local charity shops either by donating or buying items. Taking my grandkids to the park, beach, swimming pool, walk around the outskirts of Berwick with my daughter and metal detecting on some local farms.