Job vacancy: Decontamination Technician, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Nuneaton

Job summary

Main area: Endoscopy
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday - Saturday)
Job ref: 230-19035456-MED-AB

Employer: George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
Town: Nuneaton
Salary: £24,071 - £25,674 On-Call duties, covering the unit for emergencies out of hours
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 14/03/2025 23:59
Interview date: 27/03/2025

Decontamination Technician

NHS AfC: Band 3

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust opened in 1948 and provides a range of elective, non-elective, surgical, medical, women’s, children’s, diagnostic and therapeutic services to a population of more than 350,000 people.

The hub of the Trust is located on the outskirts of Nuneaton and its services cover a large footprint, including north Warwickshire, south west Leicestershire, and north Coventry. We also provide primary and community services across Coventry, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

Our vision is "to EXCEL at patient care". If you think you've got what it takes, help us realise this and join #TeamEliot.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour aren’t as likely to apply unless they meet every qualification of non specialist roles.

We’re dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role and meet our values, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with everything in the Job Description or Person Specification– apply anyway or email the Recruiting Manager to discuss the role further

We are proud to support the Armed Forces community. We are a Veteran Aware and Reservist Friendly organisation and welcome applications from Veterans, Reservists, Cadet Instructors, and family members of serving personnel.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsible for ensuring endoscope washer disinfectors (EWD) have completed a self- disinfection cycle prior to use each morning.
Responsible for maintaining accurate electronic or manual traceability records for all flexible endoscopes and accessories.
Carry out basic maintenance on the EWD’s and drying cabinets including daily and weekly testing of water samples for total viable count (TVC), water hardness and conductivity and reporting any anomalies to the team leader and unit manager.
Take action to identify any potential sources of contamination to water supplies in the decontamination area and implement strict decontamination regimes should samples fail to meet the required standards
Using specialised judgement detect both minor and major faults in a range of complex electronic and mechanical equipment used within the decontamination process. Identify where able the cause of such faults and implement safe working practices to reduce further incidents.
Report faults to manufacturers, suppliers and in house maintenance department immediately to ensure faults are rectified as soon as possible to prevent delays in patient procedures. Ensure that all staff follow procedure for equipment being sent for repair and arrange for the appropriate loan equipment to be sent. To report equipment shortfalls to Endoscopy Lead Nurse if non -availability does not meet service requirements
Adhere to and always maintain strict decontamination and infection control and prevention regimes.
Manage contractual service requirements, arranging when due and liaising with management to ensure service is not unduly affected.
Liaise with relevant personnel to ensure Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems are maintained according to national guidelines.
Identify and process endoscopes required each day in accordance with national and local guidance.
Identify, record, and report any equipment faults to manufacturers, suppliers and in-house maintenance teams ensuring safe practice is always maintained for patients and colleagues.
Take personal responsibility for protection from bodily fluids during the decontamination process including the correct use of PPE.
Adhere to Health and Safety at work act and Control of Substances hazardous to Health (COSHH) guidance at all times to ensure safe practice in the decontamination areas
Correctly store and maintain stock levels of chemicals, disinfectants, cleaning products and accessories used within the decontamination process, handle chemicals in accordance with Control of Substances hazardous to Health (COSHH) guidance.
Responsible for ensuring that the working environment is clean, tidy and safe at all times
Maintain accurate records for all decontamination equipment, including maintenance and repairs.
Participate in internal and external audits of the decontamination area.
Support staff in the decontamination areas and provide training to new and existing staff to ensure all decontamination standards are maintained
Act as a point of contact for any queries relating to the decontamination area and equipment
To attend or complete the Trusts Mandatory training programme on ESR and participate in other training and development activities as arranged.
Effectively communicate operational issues with other members of the endoscopy team using departmental routes of communication and promote teamwork between all areas of the department.
Follow Trust and Departmental policies, procedures and guidelines.
Undertake any training required for the post.

For a full comprehensive list of main responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to job description and personal specification attached.

Person specification

Qualifications and Professional Training

Essential criteria

GCSE in English and Maths or Functional Skills Numeracy, Literacy, Communication Level 1

Desirable criteria

Level 2 QCF/NVQ Health & Social Care
Level 2 QCF/NVQ Clinical Healthcare Support
Basic IT Skills
Functional Skills Numeracy, Literacy, Communication Level 2

Experience and Knowlege

Essential criteria

Experience of working in a healthcare environment (at least six months experience)
Ability to understand the importance of confidentiality and to maintain confidentiality at all times
Demonstrates good interpersonal skills
Able to communicate clearly, verbally and written
Acute hospital healthcare experience

Desirable criteria

Has an understanding/awareness of the Data Protection Act
Has an understanding of basic health care requirements
Has an understanding of infection prevention within a care setting

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

Good communication skills
Engage in continuous professional development
Ability to form positive working relationships
Ability to remain calm under a range of circumstances
Adaptable
Ability to give out instructions accurately
Ability to lead and work as part of a team
Flexibility to work as required in emergency to meet the needs of the service

Skills and Ability

Essential criteria

Good verbal/communication skills - ability to articulate to internal and external team members
Have the ability to deal with members of the public from many diverse groups
Good telephone manner
To be able to assist patients to move using appropriate aids on a frequent basis
To be able to transport patients using wheelchair/trolley or bed on a frequent basis. This will occur for short periods frequently throughout a normal shift and will require moderate effort
Frequently be able to deal with patients and relatives during distressful situations
Willingness to learn new skills and apply in the workplace
To deal with competing demands for attention with frequent interruptions

Please note:

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust utilises a third party recruitment system (TRAC). When applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into TRAC where all subsequent information regarding your application will be generated. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages via the NHS Jobs website. Furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any emails/messages sent to us via the NHS Jobs website.

By applying for this post you are consenting to George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system, TRAC.

The Job application data you provide will be used to assess your application for employment at GEH, to verify your information and conduct reference checks, and to communicate with you. If you accept employment with GEH, the information collected will become part of your employment record and will be used for employment purposes.

All information provided will be used for recruitment purposes only and processed in a lawful, fair and transparent manner.

Other:

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of individuals and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of our safe recruitment practice, if appropriate for the role, it is a mandatory requirement for all newly appointed staff to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service application.

In response to NICE guidance and to support the reduction of health harm from tobacco, the Trust has a smoke-free site policy which applies to anyone on Trust sites. Staff who smoke will be supported to quit or not smoke whilst on Trust sites.

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for all our employees as they are at the heart of our patients journey. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued, respected, empowered and included within an organisation that is representative of all members of the community. We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – taking pride in that we value employees, job applicants, students, volunteers, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our excel behaviours with a vision to create a workplace that represents a culture of kindness, joy and inclusion.