Occupations and Terms of Reference › Transport supervisor
Universal terms of reference · POS-140 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Transport supervisor
To run the ambulance and emergency transport on shift, so that vehicles, crews and tasks are covered safely.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You supervise the transport team. You plan shifts and crews, allocate vehicles, handle incidents and faults, and make sure crews are safe and fit to work.
Reports to: Facilities manager.
Leads or supervises: Ambulance drivers, dispatchers and porters.
What you do on a typical day
- Plan shifts and crew cover.
- Allocate vehicles and check readiness.
- Handle incidents and vehicle faults.
- Check driver fitness and hours.
- Report transport performance weekly.
Working conditions and demands
- On call for shortages and incidents.
- Works across shifts.
- Pressure at peak times.
What good looks like
- Shifts are covered.
- Vehicles are ready.
- Incidents are handled safely.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- The right patient gets to the right care, at the right place, without avoidable delay.
- Patient safety comes before speed, cost or convenience.
- Clinical handover is complete and recorded every time.
- Vehicles, aircraft and equipment are checked and fit before every journey.
- Crews work within their scope of practice and call for help when out of their depth.
- Every incident and near miss is reported, and learning is shared.
- Staff and patients are protected from violence and harm during transport.
- Confidential patient information is protected in every journey and record.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-140 |
| ISCO-08 | 1324 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Emergency and transport |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-178. Supervises: POS-139, POS-141, POS-142.
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Facilities manager | Vehicle and building transport. |
| Head of emergency department | Emergency tasks and priorities. |
| Transport operations manager | Transport standards. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shifts | Covers shifts safely and records them. | Shifts covered; gaps escalated same day | Daily | C-01 | T-07 | – | 2 |
| Vehicles | Makes sure vehicles are ready and faults are fixed. | Vehicle readiness reported each shift | Daily | C-02 | T-05 | – | 2 |
| Safety | Checks driver fitness and handles incidents. | Incidents reviewed within 72 hours | Monthly | C-03 | T-05 · T-07 | POL-INC · POL-SAFEG | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Crew and vehicle allocation within the plan | Shortages that threaten emergency cover (head of emergency and COO) |
| Immediate response to vehicle faults | Serious transport incidents (transport operations manager and CQO) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Transport supervision certificate | No | Lifetime |
| Q-02 | Emergency driving licence | Yes | per regulator |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Transport or ambulance operations experience | 3 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | C-02 · C-03 |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | – |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | C-01 · C-03 |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | – |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Shift and crew planning | Follows rotas | Plans shifts | Designs crew plans | Rota audit | Every 12 months | T-07 |
| C-02 | Vehicle readiness | Checks vehicles | Manages readiness | Designs readiness systems | Readiness audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
| C-03 | Driver fitness and incident handling | Reports incidents | Handles incidents | Designs transport safety | Safety audit | Every 12 months | T-05 · T-07 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Shifts covered | 100% | rota records | Daily |
| PI-02 | Vehicles ready at shift start | 100% | readiness log | Daily |
| PI-03 | Incidents reviewed within 72 hours | 100% | incident register | Monthly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Transport supervisor | 3 years (recommended) | Q-01, Q-02 | C-01 practitioner, C-03 practitioner | T-05 · T-07 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |