Decontamination Technician (A.T.O)

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust; West of England; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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Job summary

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a CSSD Decontamination Technician to join the central sterile services department. You will help clean, disinfect, inspect, sterilise, assemble, and distribute reusable medical devices and endoscopes to required standards and service levels.

You will work under supervision with full training, contribute to audits, maintain traceability records, and ensure compliance with HTMs, ISO standards, MDD and safety policies across all decontamination activities.

Qualifications

• No previous experience required; full training will be provided.

Responsibilities

• Receive, disassemble, clean, inspect, disinfect, assemble, sterilise, pack, and distribute reusable medical devices and endoscopes.
• Record all stages of the decontamination and sterilisation process using traceability systems and documentation.
• Assess and report equipment test results in accordance with ISO 13485, HTMs and Health & Safety requirements.
• Maintain compliance with departmental Quality Management Systems and Health & Safety policies.

Job description

To provide a high-quality decontamination and sterilisation service for reusable medical devices, flexible endoscopes, surgical instruments, and associated equipment in accordance with Trust policies, ISO standards, Health Technical Memoranda (HTMs), infection prevention standards, and Health & Safety regulations. The post holder will support the safe and effective delivery of patient care by ensuring medical devices are cleaned, disinfected, inspected, assembled, sterilised, tracked, and distributed to required standards and within agreed service levels. Key Responsibilities General Duties

• Maintain and develop professional working relationships with colleagues, theatres, wards, departments, and external customers.
• Behave professionally and courteously at all times.
• Participate in a rotational working system across all areas of the department.
• Receive, disassemble, clean, inspect, disinfect, assemble, sterilise, pack, and distribute reusable medical devices and flexible endoscopes.
• Carry out functionality testing on reusable medical devices and equipment.
• Operate departmental equipment safely and effectively in accordance with departmental procedures and manufacturer instructions.
• Record all stages of the decontamination and sterilisation process using electronic traceability systems and manual documentation where required.
• Assess and approve work completed by colleagues where appropriate.
• Identify, diagnose, and report failures or abnormalities in equipment test results in accordance with ISO 13485, HTMs, Medical Devices Directive (MDD 93/42/EEC), and Health & Safety requirements.
• Escalate equipment failures, process deviations, and emergencies to Team Leaders, Production Coordinators, or Managers.
• Participate in departmental and Trust-wide audits and support implementation of service improvements.
• Assist with Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) activities.
• Maintain compliance with departmental Quality Management Systems and Health & Safety policies.
• Report customer complaints, incidents, and non-conformances to the appropriate manager.
• Mentor, train, and support new or less experienced staff members.
• Attend mandatory and role-specific training as required.
• Participate in appraisal, performance reviews, and continuous professional development.
• Contribute to the Trust's vision, values, and operational objectives.
  We are looking for motivated and reliable individuals to join our CSSD (Central Sterile Services Department) Decontamination Team. No previous experience is required as full training will be provided.

Raw Material Store & Endoscopy Storerooms

• Process stock orders and deliveries using correct documentation and inventory systems.
• Maintain stock rotation and ensure removal of external packaging where required.
• Monitor and maintain agreed stock levels and raise replenishment requests/orders.
• Participate in stock takes and inventory audits.
• Ensure compliance with storage requirements relating to temperature, humidity, COSHH, and manual handling regulations.
• Safely manoeuvre trolleys and undertake manual handling of instrument sets and supplies.

Washrooms / Decontamination Areas

• Perform daily testing and maintenance checks on Washer Disinfectors, Ultrasonic Cleaners, Trolley Washers, Automatic Endoscope Reprocessors (AERs), and associated equipment.
• Record and review test results to demonstrate compliance and support audit requirements.
• Follow washroom protocols, standard operating procedures, infection prevention, and Health & Safety requirements at all times.
• Log incoming instruments, sets, and endoscopes into the traceability system and prioritise workloads appropriately.
• Verify equipment completeness and report discrepancies immediately.
• Complete non-conformance documentation where required.
• Process specialist loan instrumentation in accordance with manufacturer instructions.
• Recognise and appropriately dispose of single-use devices.
• Respond to customer queries and prioritise urgent/Fast Track requests.
• Handle contaminated devices safely using appropriate PPE and universal precautions, including compliance with Cytotoxic, NICE, and CJD policies.
• Safely dispose of clinical waste, sharps, linen, and fluids in accordance with policy.

Inspection,