Sterile Services Technician

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Swindon; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Swindon is seeking a Band 2 Sterile Services professional to join the HSDU at the Great Western Hospital. The position is permanent, full-time 37.5 hours per week, on a two-week shift pattern (one week early, one week late) with weekend duties on a rota.

The post involves decontamination, checking, assembling, packing, sterilizing and delivering surgical instrument packs to internal and external customers.

Qualifications

• GCSE level or equivalent is required.
• NVQ in Decontamination is required.
• Experience in packaging/assembly or customer service.
• Experience working in a hospital environment.
• Experience with a Quality Management System and Standard Operating Procedures.

Responsibilities

• Collecting, receiving, checking and washing of all surgical instruments/medical devices from clinical areas.
• Delivering and collecting clean and used Endoscopes from local sites using Trust vehicle.
• Checking and assembling medical devices across the full range of surgical specialties using SOPs with speed and accuracy.
• Providing and receiving routine information and working co-operatively with colleagues.
• Carrying out all duties in accordance with departmental policies.
• Demonstrating activities to new staff during their training.
• Organising day-to-day work tasks and making judgements on job-related facts.

Skills

Packaging & assembly

Customer services

Hospital environment

Quality Management System

SOPs

Education

GCSE level or equivalent

NVQ in Decontamination

Tools

Wassenburg AERs

Job description

Main area Sterile Services Grade Band 2 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Over two week shift pattern (1 Week earlies, 1 Week late's) Weekends (on rota)) Job ref 249-8264047

Employer Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Great Western Hospital Town Swindon Salary £25,272 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 21/09/2026 23:59

Band 2

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital.

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

Job overview

The Sterile Services (HSDU) at the Great Western Hospital supports the activity of the operating theatres, endoscopy, clinic areas, community dentistry, podiatry services and external customers.

The individuals who work for us are some of the best available; we now have an opportunity to expand our team. This is not a patient facing role but is very much patient focused and the patient is at the core of everything we do.

The environment is busy and active and you will need to be able to respond to the ‘peaks and troughs’ of the work to support the service. The instruments are used in operations and so an ability to deal with the sight of blood is necessary.

This role requires you to have current right to work in the UK which enables you to undertake the role without need of sponsorship. Accordingly, we regret that any application will not be considered if this requirement is not met. Given the current UK immigration requirements this role is not eligible for sponsorship, and it is not possible for the Trust to sponsor applicants for a visa for this role

Main duties of the job

The team are responsible for the decontamination, checking, assembly, packing, sterilization and delivery of surgical instrument packs to both internal and external customers and we need more individuals to cover the growing service demand.

You will need to be able to enjoy detailed work, be prepared and able to learn the names of surgical instruments, work within a department that uses standard operating procedures and a Quality Management System and become part of a committed, strong team. We pride our self on our quality and the service we provide for patients.

Any experience of working in a decontamination, cleaning or sterilization environment will be an advantage but not a necessity as we provide a very extensive training package, a full UK driving licence is required as we also provide transportation for some external customers.

Collection, Decontamination, Packing, Sterilizing and dispatch of Medical Devises throughout the Trust site.

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Collecting, receiving, checking and washing of all surgical instruments/medical devices from clinical areas.
• Delivering and collecting clean and used Endoscopes from local sites using Trust vehicle.
• The checking and assembly of medical devices across the full range of surgical specialties using Departmental Standard Operating Procedures with speed and accuracy prior to sterilization.
• Providing and receiving routine information and working co-operatively with your work colleagues in exchanges of information.
• To carry out all duties in accordance with Departmental Policies.
• Demonstrate activities to new staff during their training.
• Responsibility for organising one’s own day-to-day work tasks and making judgement on job related facts and situations.

Qualifications

• Good general education at GCSE Level or equivalent
• NVQ in Decontamination

Experience

• Packaging and assembly and/or customer services experience
• Working in a Hospital environment
• Previous experience of working with a Quality Management system using Standard operating procedures.
• Use of Wassenburg AER’s
• Experience in the disinfection of flexible endoscopes

Certificate of Sponsorship - Sponsorship can only be offered where the role meets the relevant eligibility criteria, including minimum salary requirements. Please note that not all roles within the organisation are eligible for sponsorship. Eligibility for this role includes:

• Current right to work in the UK, subject to verification

Meeting the Skilled Worker visa criteria, where applicable

From 4 April 2024, UK immigration policy changes increased the minimum salary levels required for Skilled Worker visas. Further information is available on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Current employees should be aware that this position is advertised as a Great Western Hospitals position and appointment ends any TUPE protection.

Candidates are responsible for covering the cost of their own DBS check if required: £21.50 for a Standard DBS check, recoverable from the first pay, or £49.50 for an Enhanced DBS check, divided and recoverable over the initial two pay periods. Payment for DBS checks for bank posts must be settled prior to commencement. Apprentices are exempt from DBS payment.

We are committed to supporting our staff in achieving a healthy work-life balance through flexible work arrangements. Upon joining the Trust, you have the right to request flexible working, with an unlimited number of requests allowed.

Upon acceptance of a job offer, your information will be transferred to the national NHS Electronic Staff Records System. All communication regarding your application will be conducted via email; please ensure to check your junk/spam folders as emails may occasionally be filtered there.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.