Sterile Services Technician

Job overview

The decontamination of medical devices is a critical service to the delivery of patient care. You would be part of the team which is responsible for the safe collection and handling of potentially infected instrumentation prior to decontamination,  preparation, sterilisation, quality assurance and distribution of surgical instruments to operating theatres and other hospital departments. You would be expected to carry out daily tasks within the department as directed, to provide an efficient and quality driven service to theatres, the wider Trust and external customers.

Main duties of the job

In addition to the below summary  you need to familiarize yourself with full Job Description and Person Specification documents attached to this advert.

Collect and transport contaminated instruments between various locations.

Undertake routine daily machine checks within specified parameters, referring any anomalies to the coordinator for assessment and action.

Disassemble and check contaminated instruments against tray lists prior to decontamination.

Manually pre-wash contaminated surgical instruments.

Load and operate ultrasonic and thermal washer disinfectors.

Assemble, inspect and pack decontaminated instruments prior to sterilisation.

Wrap and label instrument trays.

Load and operate autoclaves (steam sterilisers).

Perform quality checks of sterilised items, against specified parameters, prior to dispatch.

Report any failed checks or other problems to a Coordinator or Manager.

Maintain accurate records of all checks and procedures using both manual and electronic systems, including Instrument Management System.

Identify and report any broken or missing equipment in line with local procedures.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Your main duties would include:

Checking and dismantling pieces of equipment prior to automated cleaning and disinfection.

Ensuring that all instruments are clean, reassembled and functioning following cleaning and disinfection

Packing, sealing and labelling the equipment prior to sterilisation and dispatch to the customer.

Operation of the washer-disinfectors and autoclaves and tracking of items throughout the process.

You would be required to work fully flexibly and should be able to work all of our shifts; 6am-2pm, 2pm-10pm and 10pm-6am, on any day of the week. This includes the requirement to work weekends and bank holidays. Full and part time positions are available.

This work is exceptionally physically demanding and involves lifting equipment and pushing heavy trolleys. Previous experience in Sterile Services or formal qualifications are not required as full and comprehensive training will be given, however you must have a good standard of literacy and numeracy, have experience of working in a customer services environment and be computer literate to a basic level. Experience of working in a hospital, manufacturing or processing environment would also be advantageous.