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Considerable challenges inensuring patient safety

A senior decontamination engineer working for NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership considers the array of standards and guidance in place on effective instrument decontamination

John Prendergast, a decontamination engineer working within the specialist team at NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership / Specialist Estates Services dedicated to decontamination and reprocessing of medical devices, considers ‘the array of standards that are in place to provide rules, guidance, or characteristics, for various decontamination activities’. He also sets out some of the key steps to take to ensure that instrument decontamination is undertaken to the high standards needed to ensure patient safety.

I will start this article by citing a well-known aphorism, ‘If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got’. This very much applies to the decontamination of surgical instruments, and to the ensuing risks if this vital activity is not undertaken to the highest standards.

It is, of course, the clear responsibility of healthcare organisations to ensure that all medical devices used for clinical procedures are decontaminated appropriately. However, what is appropriate here? Device manufacturers’ instructions, EN ISO standards, national guidance, CFPPs (Choice Frameworks for local Policy and Procedures), theoretical research, external advisers, and professional institutes, will all present a different opinion as to the correct and ‘best’ methods.

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Upcoming Events

The Fire Safety Event 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
30th April - 2 May 2024

Wales regional conference, exhibition and awards dinner 2024

International Conference Centre (ICC) Newport
28th - 29th May 2024

NAHFO National Conference 2024

Crowne Plaza Newcastle Upon Tyne
3rd - 5th June 2024

Design in Mental Health 2024

Manchester Central
4th - 5th June 2024

InstallerSHOW 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
25th - 27th June

Healthcare Estates 2024

Manchester Central
8th-9th October 2024

Access the latest issue of Health Estate Journal on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Health Estate Journal app from your device's App store

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