Job overview
We are recruiting for a Sterile Services Technician - Sterile Services Department (SSD) who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.
The department operates Monday - Friday 7am to 4am and 8am to 4pm weekends and bank holidays. This means shift patterns can range from 7am to 3pm, 12.30 pm to 8.30pm and 8pm to 4am during the week and 8am to 4pm at weekends and bank holidays.
The successful candidate is expected to participate in the full departmental rota of all three shifts and one weekend a month.
At the heart of everything we do are our core values: Include, Respect, and Improve. We encourage you to embrace these values throughout the recruitment process and in your role with us.
Main duties of the job
The Sterile Services Technician will provide a high quality decontamination and sterilisation service that supports clinical teams by ensuring all surgical instruments and medical devices are cleaned, inspected, packed, sterilised and delivered in accordance with strict quality and infection control standards.
You will demonstrate and maintain a level of understanding of decontamination terminology and processes as well as taking responsibility to self-educate and increase knowledge by taking advantage of any relevant available training as determined by the line manager.
The post holder will prepare and dress for work (including PPE) in all areas of the trust where required to participate in the collection, preparation, decontamination and sterilization of instruments and devices.
You will also develop and sustain productive working relationships with colleagues.
The successful candidate will need to communicate effectively to perform clear and concise handovers.
Working for our organisation
At East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
* The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
* New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
* Hertford County, Hertford
* Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Person specification
Qualifications / Training
Essential criteria
* Basic operator training for washer disinfectors, sterilisers and endoscopy
* Evidence of certified in-house training within a sterile services department
* Evidence of continued professional development for SSD/EDD or equivalent experience to vocational level 3
Desirable criteria
* 1 st line supervisory or management training
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
* Experience working within a busy SSD/EDD environment
* Experience in mentoring decontamination staff
* Experience with communicating with users of the service
Desirable criteria
* Experience at a supervisory level
Skills
Essential criteria
* Good written & verbal communication and excellent interpersonal skills including computer skills
* Good orgainisational skills and time management
* Able to communicate and exchange technical information, both within and outside the trust
* Able to understand and implement manufactures guidelines for the reprocessing of re-usable medical devices
* Ability to meet deadlines, be adaptive, follow procedures, and work & respond well under pressure
* Have good manual dexterity and excellent vision, with or without reading aids
* Able to stand for long periods of time
* Able to work in an area with moderate to heavy physical activity (pushing, pulling, lifting)
* Able to concentrate for long periods of time whilst quality checking complex instrumentation
* Able to work in an environment where there is a high exposure to items contaminated with blood, bone and tissue
Knowledge
Essential criteria
* Knowledge of the standards expected in the Quality Assurance Systems and Medical Devices Regulations
* Knowledge of HTM01-01 and HTM01-06 guidance
* Knowledge of QMS and participation in audits
* Knowledge of testing & validation requirements for decontamination machinery
Desirable criteria
* Knowledge of performance management
* Knowledge of appraisal systems
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
* Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion
* Role model our Trust values every day
* Treat all colleagues, including porters, nurses, surgeons and fellow technicians with professionalism and courtesy
* Ability to work alongside others and influence change through staff development
* Uphold the importance of own contribution to patient safety by ensuring all instruments are accurately prepared and processed
* Maintain confidentiality and handle equipment and data with discretion and integrity
* Take pride in delivering a behind- the-scenes service that directly impacts the quality of care and patient outcomes
Our values
We want our staff to believe in, demonstrate and live our values in everything we do.
Include
We value the diversity and experience of our community colleagues and partners, creating relationships and climates that provide an opportunity to share, collaborate and grow together.
Respect
We create a safe environment where we are curious of the lived experience of others, seek out best practice and are open to listening and hearing new ideas.
Improve
We are committed to consistently delivering excellent services and continuously looking to improve through a creative workforce that feels empowered to act in service of our shared purpose.
Committed to our Community
East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion for all job applicants, staff, patients and the wider community. We want to create a workforce which represents the communities we serve. We are on a journey to become a more inclusive organisation and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of their background. In particular we encourage applications from candidates with disabilities, and candidates from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who are currently under-represented in various parts of our workforce .
We understand the importance of balancing work and home life. We are committed to support flexible working for our staff wherever possible and all our employees are given the opportunity to discuss potential for flexible working.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and achieved our status in 2019.
We will remove barriers that prospective candidates might face at any stage of our recruitment process. If you have a disability and would like the advert in an alternative format, or would like to talk about how we can adjust the interview process to best support you, please contact us by emailing resourcing.enh-tr@nhs.net
We are also proud to support our UK armed forces by supporting Reservists, Cadet Instructors, Veterans and military spouses/partners into employment and offering supportive policies that value their contribution to the community and to our Trust.
We are committed to being a carer-friendly environment, addressing the complex needs of families with caring responsibilities. In partnership with Carers in Hertfordshire, all our working carers have access to support from recruitment. We are also a member of Carers UK, providing resources to make balancing work and caring easier. Our approach is inclusive, recognizing diverse challenges and creating a supportive environment where carers feel valued.