Job overview
A sterile services supervisor will be responsible for the overseeing of the day-to-day operations of the sterile services unit within the hospital. This role focuses on ensuring the safe and effective cleaning, sterilising, and distribution of medical instruments and equipment. You will manage staff, prioritise work, monitor quality, liaise with other departments within the hospital, and maintain a safe and efficient working environment.
Main duties of the job
Experience of effectively communicating technical information regarding sterile services to colleagues within a shift and 'lay' audiences (clinical users).
Ability to build strong and effective relationships with key stakeholders, promoting open and honest dialogue.
Ability to supervise staff and build effective supervisor/staff relationships.
1. Listening, generating and providing suggestions made by staff on work organisation or service improvement to the Production Manager.
2. Assisting with the review and development of departmental quality assurance initiatives in conjunction with the Production Manager.
3. Assisting the Production Manager with operational aspects of service expansion, redesign, and development plans.
4. Providing regular updates to the Production Manager on NCR's, customer complaints and other key performance indicators.
5. Promote good employee relations and morale within the shift. This will include actively co-operating with staff engagement plans, having a zero tolerance policy on discrimination, understanding and engaging with the principles of dignity at work and lead by example.
The Supervisor will, where possible, be a working member of the shift and will be required to regularly work on the production floor.
Working for our organisation
Our vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. Patient care is at the heart of what we do at our three sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 600,000 people across Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire.
Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.
We provide specialist services to people across the UK and internationally. We are one of only two centres in the UK treating pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare form of abdominal cancer) and we are leaders in the field of tertiary liver cancer and colorectal cancer.
The trust employs more than 9,000 staff and has a turnover of over £500 million a year. As a Foundation Trust, we are directly accountable to our members through the governors. The Council of Governors represent the interests of their constituencies and influence the future plans of the Foundation Trust.
Tackling Climate Change: Hampshire Hospitals aims to embed sustainability and net zero carbon principles into the delivery of care across all its services. To find out more, search or .
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Supervisor will be responsible for:
6. Managing production inputs and outputs. This will include; organising work for daily production, re-prioritising work where appropriate, and, re-organising technicians to meet necessary demand.
7. Ensuring that departmental working instructions and standard operating procedures are maintained, including challenging, correcting and escalating non-conformances as appropriate. Providing supervisory advice for ad-hoc production queries on a daily basis. This will include providing technical information regarding the processing of medical devices, in accordance with the Medical Devices Regulations and the Sterile Services accreditation in accordance with International Standards (ISO 13485).
8. Undertaking quality checks on production outputs before distribution.
9. Providing general supervision of technicians including addressing ad hoc performance issue and tardiness and providing induction and orientation training.
10. Reviewing and counter signing Non-Conformance Reports (NCRs) raised by technicians. This will include; observing the NCR at the time it arises (wherever possible), confirming that the error is appropriate to be raised as an NCR and/or providing advice on how it should be reported instead, determining the processes and circumstances that lead to the NCR and, developing action plans for improvement. The Supervisor will be expected to regularly review NCRs with the Production Manager to ensure that constant improvements to service are made.
11. Organising replacements for damaged instruments. This includes resolving and/or escalating any issues experienced when co-ordinating this.
12. Assisting with arrangements for planned department closures for essential maintenance. This includes assisting with the organisation of transport, staffing, transfer of materials and medical devices prior to the closure.
13. Managing any other ad hoc issues that arise during the course of a shift. This will include escalating issues to the Production Manager as appropriate.
14. Undertake Fire Warden duties when on shift.
Person specification
Essential
Essential criteria
15. At least 4 years’ experience in decontamination of surgical instruments.
16. Hold a recognised qualification in decontamination.
Desirable criteria
17. SSD Supervisors / Managers (to NHS guidance) USER qualification.
18. Member of institute of Decontamination Science.
19. Any training and mentoring qualifications.
Essential
Essential criteria
20. English, Maths and Science, or equivalent, qualification.
Essential
Essential criteria
21. Be able to work on their own initiative with minimal supervision.