Sterile Services Technician

Job overview

Work in accordance with the Department’s Standard Operating Procedures and Quality Management Systems at all times and throughout all production areas, ensuring safe systems are followed for patient safety.

Closing date: 19/01/2025

We are looking for 1 person to join our team.

Fixed hours Only.

Monday to Friday 14:00 to 22:00 hrs

Full in-house training will be provided for this role.

Main duties of the job

We are looking to recruit one full time Sterile Services Technician to join our team at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Sterile Services Department. This is a busy unit based adjacent to the Operating Theatres responsible for the decontamination of surgical instruments for use in the main Operating Theatres, plus WW and WC Operating theatres, and some wards and departments.

You will be required to undertake tasks associated with the cleaning, disassembly, checking, packing, sterilization and movement of surgical instruments to ensure the safe reprocessing, and distribution of products for use in theatres and other clinical departments.

You will follow written instructions, use specialist machinery and electronic tracking systems in the accordance with departmental guidelines. You will comply with the requirements of quality systems, as stated in ISO 13485, Medical device regulations plus all other relevant standards.

Full in-house training will be provided for this role.

Working for our organisation

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. Find out more here www.ouh.nhs.uk

The Trust comprises of four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Full in-house training will be provided for this role.

Accurately exchange information with colleagues and customers to enable: prioritisation of work and prevention/resolution of problems.

• Deal courteously and professionally with colleagues to foster good team working relationships.
• Provide routine data as required by departmental supervisors.
• Understand a range of work procedures which require on job training.
• Maintain and update knowledge of instruments across all specialities.
• Understand and maintain knowledge of decontamination procedures including safe operation of automated machinery.
• Maintain educational standards by attending departmental lectures and hospital courses regularly to meet the requirements of Health & safety.
• Organising own day to day work tasks or activities ensuring recommended best practice is adhered to at all times.
• Making judgements involving straightforward job related facts or situations. Identifying routine problems which may prevent adherence to decontamination/quality standards.
• Specific hand/eye co-ordination required to gain the speed and accuracy in checking, packing and assembling surgical equipment to the required quality standards.
• Achieving the department production targets carried out within recommended best practice and mandatory standards.
• Provide basic clinical technical services following strict decontamination guidelines for cleaning, sterilisation and packing of surgical equipment.
• Follow departmental documented policies and procedures at all times.
• Daily maintenance of theatre instruments, dismantling and re-assembling of surgical instruments and checking optics following the relevant work instructions and comprehensive instrument checklists, identifying any missing components which are reported accordingly.
• Maintain stock within all production areas, re-order as required and control stock rotation.
• Demonstrate work activities to untrained staff when qualified.
• Responsible for data entry onto computer, to maintain records of instrumentation within the department (tracking and tracing).
• Complete own time sheets and other work records as required.
• Undertakes surveys and audits (i.e. cleanliness and work required) where necessary within own work and written guidelines.
• Test decontamination equipment according to relevant HTMs on a daily bases.
• Work within well established procedures following guidelines for good practice with supervision available for reference.
• There is a requirement to stand while carrying out duties in all production areas; with a frequent requirement to exert moderate physical effort whilst unloading and loading trolleys into the washer disinfectors and sterilisers.
• Concentration is required at specific times during the decontamination process to produce correctly laid-up and packaged surgical instruments.
• Frequent exposure to body fluids and care is required when dealing with contaminated sets due to the presence of sharp instruments when working in the decontamination wash area.
• The duties and responsibilities of the post will be undertaken in accordance with the policies, procedures and practice of Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust and which the Trust may amend from time to time.
• The duties outlined above are not intended as a restrictive list, and may be extended or altered to include other tasks that are commensurate with the grade

Person specification

Qualifications

• GCSE Maths & English (or equivalent)

• IDSc Technician certificate
• Level 2 Apprenticeship in Healthcare Sciences

Experience

• Previous experience of working in a in a team or similar quality led production environment.
• Experience of dealing with customers and/or public

• Previous experience of working in a in a decontamination team

Personal Skills

• Good communication skills both verbal and written with all disciplines of staff
• Keen to learn and train within the post Self motivated
• Able to work within a team

Behavioural Skills

• Able to work while standing for prolonged periods
• Ability to follow instructions whilst working at speed

Technical Skills

• Basic numeracy
• Good hand to eye coordination
• Good manual dexterity
• Good vision
• Basic computer skills