Sterile Services Technician

Job overview

The Sterile Services Department located at Northampton General Hospital provides a vital service decontaminating and reprocessing surgical instruments for use in theatres and wards.

The department is very much focused on patient safety.

You will be involved in the cleaning, inspecting, assembling, packing, sterilising and distributing surgical equipment to theatres, wards and departments.

The successful candidate will require attention to detail, eagerness, and ability to learn.

We operate an in-house training package which successful candidates will be expected to complete.

The role is physically demanding. You will be required to lift and handle heavy instrument sets and endure long periods of standing.

As a clinical support service, the department is operational seven days a week to meet the demands of the hospital.

A full-time position is available, working the following hours:

37.5 hours over seven days on a rotating shift pattern.

Week 1 = 07:00-15:00 Monday to Friday (including a day off)

Week 2 = 14:00-22:00 Monday to Friday (including a day off)

Saturday 10:00 – 18:00

Sunday 10:00 – 18:00

The shifts include alternating weekend working (1 weekend on, one weekend off), Bank Holiday cover and On-Call Fri, Sat & Sun.

If you feel you could make a difference in patient care and enjoy working as part of a team, contact us.

Main duties of the job

To be responsible for the collection and delivery of contaminated and sterile items to/from operating theatres and wards/departments within the hospital.

To be responsible for checking of surgical instruments upon arrival in the unit and reporting any non-conformities as soon as possible.  To be able to recognise incorrect instruments within a tray, and to also be able to recognise potential sharps and deal with these appropriately.

To be responsible for decontaminating and inspecting surgical instruments to ensure they are physically clean and function correctly.

To be responsible for packaging equipment and ensuring that traceability is maintained at all times.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To undertake decontamination science duties and assist (under supervision) the workforce of

Decontamination Managers in providing a specialised decontamination of medical devices service, contributing to the clinical care of the patient.

To carry out the receipt, disassembly, cleaning, reassembly, packing and sterilisation of reusable medical devices. Record all tasks in the Nexus Systems (tracking and tracing) database.

Work in accordance with the Department's Standard Operating Procedures and Quality Management Systems. ISO13458:2016 and HTM01 01 guidance

KEY TASKS:

Policy and Service

To work in accordance with Departmental Policy, Standard Operating Procedures and Quality Management System. ISO:13485 2016

To reprocess reusable medical devices, disassemble, clean, disinfect, check, assemble, sterilise, despatch and track in a controlled environment.

Sort and identify instruments using relevant documentation. Check for functionality before choosing the appropriate decontamination process following the manufacturer's instructions.

Raise non-conformance reports where necessary, e.g. on discovering missing or damaged instruments and equipment. Contact the customer to action appropriately. Follow Trust policy (e.g. sharps) and Datix system for reporting incidents.

To take delivery of and process unique specialist surgical loan instruments and process following the manufacturers' instructions.

Undertake quality checks for cleanliness and functionality before packing reusable medical devices to agreed specifications.

Pack sets and instruments using various designs of wrapping in such a way as to ensure an effective sterile field.

To observe good housekeeping.

Participation is staff on-call rota.

Participation in staff and major emergency call-out situations.

To take responsible care and safety when handling expensive equipment in the Department.

To undertake any duties that may be delegated which are appropriate to the grade and work of the Sterile Services Department.

To operate decontamination equipment and carry out routine tests on at least a daily basis in accordance with Planned Preventative Maintenance Schedules, Quality Standards ISO:13485:2016 and HTM01 01

Record all released sterilised medical devices using the IT tracking systems.

To maintain the security of the Decontamination Department(s), equipment and chemicals in accordance with departmental policy at all times.

Planning and Organisation

To contribute to developing the service to ensure that delivery of medical device decontamination is safe, effective and follows best practice.

To follow the decontamination department's training programme and undertake training in line with the Institute of Decontamination Sciences educational framework as agreed with the line manager.

To plan daily workload against customer requirements, using Theatre operating lists.

Use a computerised tracking system to establish "priority" equipment.

Reschedule workload as priorities change.

To refer appropriate issues and to raise uncertainties with senior staff.

To actively participate in the Organisation's appraisal system and personal development planning process in accordance with the Trust policy.

Prepare specialist loan instrumentation with appropriate decontamination certificates to ensure a safe return to manufacturers or other hospitals.

Organise and plan workload around PPM of washer disinfectors and Sterilizers

Ensure all daily tests have been completed and recorded correctly and organise retests due to failures.

Education, Teaching and training

To maintain compliance with all statutory and mandatory training as defined by the organisation and service needs.

To comply with the Department's training programme and undertake training in line with the development of the post, as agreed with the line manager.

To continually develop and maintain a portfolio of evidence of training and CPD activities.

To understand the Department's Quality Policy, Quality Manual and Standard Operating Procedures to ensure that a high standard of work is maintained at all times.

To understand data protection and Caldicott issues relating to the use and storage of patient information.

To assist in the training of other decontamination personnel to perform tasks as directed by the Decontamination Managers.

To operate IT systems, computerised tracking systems, Washers/Disinfectors and Sterilisers

Be able to record and interpret machinery results, demonstrate compliance, analyse data and fault finding.

To participate in the Department's audits by explaining and showing knowledge of the Department's procedures

Communication and Team Working

To communicate all relevant information within the team to ensure the continual and efficient running of the service.

To communicate and liaise between customers and other members of healthcare staff, i.e. Porters, delivery drivers, and housekeepers, in a polite and helpful manner.

To communicate with customers of the service in the initial investigation of non-conformances.

To inform effectively both verbally and at any staff hand-over as required.

To attend and actively participate in the Department's meetings.

To work as part of a team and liaise with the Multidisciplinary Team in a professional manner at all times.

To undertake any other duties as requested by the SSD management team.

To work alongside organisation colleagues in order to contribute to the

Participation in the staff roster, which includes weekends and bank holidays.

To provide practical support and training to Trainee Decontamination Technicians

Respond to customer telephone queries or requests using the computerised tracking system to establish equipment location. Escalating to senior staff if necessary

Use the Datix system to report any incidents or non-conformities.