Peckham man crowned king of hospital porters

A Peckham hospital porter was crowned best in the UK at an annual awards event last week.

Kabiru Ogundipe, of Sunwell Close, Peckham, was voted Porter of the Year at the annual MyPorter awards, which celebrate the work of non-clinical hospital staff across the country.

The 51-year-old has worked at Northwick Park Hospital in Watford Road, Harrow, for the past 11 years and clocks up several miles a day moving patients to and from different parts of the hospital.

Mr Ogundipe was selected as the overall winner out of 300 other nominees.

He said: “I did get a bit emotional. It was so unexpected and lovely to win.”

Mr Ogundipe was cited in the awards after he saved a patients life who attempted suicide by jumping from a window in the hospital.

Mr Ogundipe, who was among the first responders to the incident, said: “I was just doing my job. It’s all about teamwork at the end of the day.”

“I really enjoy chatting with patients, putting them at ease and reassuring them they are in the best place.

“I know so many people here now that it’s almost like my second family. I commute from South London and have no intention of moving to a hospital closer to home. I’d miss everyone.”

Pictured top: Kabiru Ogundipe at the awards ceremony last week (Picture: London North West NHS trust)