DECONTAMINATION & STERILE SERVICES
AfPP president Tracy Coates discusses changes in decontamination services and how an integrated approach can allow practice and training to keep up with innovation.
D
econtamination services are evolving, with hospitals contracting services
out to centres for sterilisation, advances in technology, the development of disposable instruments, and the provision of relevant guidance. Tracy Coates, president of the AfPP (Association for Perioperative Practice) spoke to NHE about these issues, and how they are affecting perioperative practice.
The AfPP wants health service profession- als and the public to have a greater under- standing of the subject matter it covers as an organisation: pathways of care before, during and after surgery. It is also keen to give a voice to practitioners in the field, al- lowing them to provide valuable and rel- evant feedback.
Coates is keen to tackle this unawareness, and told NHE: “People are familiar with all the different elements around surgery but we’d like to see more awareness of the word ‘perioperative’ – and that’s in rela- tion to the public as well as in the health service.
“We work professionally with the IDSc (Institute of Decontamination Science) to make sure that any new guidance is ap- plicable over the whole range of staff that work within a theatre. It’s the frontline staff who need to adapt to that guidance, so we act as a conduit to get that informa- tion out to them.”
Off-site vs. on-site
If hospitals conform to the guidelines for running a decontamination unit, this pro- cess can still take place within the hospital, but this differs around the country, and there is a trend for instruments to be sent out for decontamination and delivered back to the hospital.
Speaking from a practitioner’s point of view, Coates commented: “I don’t mind how things are done, as long as they’re be- ing done properly and we’ve got all the kit that we need.”
She suggested that this change could be due to stricter requirements to undertake sterilisation and conformity to environ- mental guidance.
Coates continued: “If it doesn’t conform you have to buy it somewhere else.”
Speedy delivery
Close access is a clear priority for off-site centres, as this can affect the ability to de- liver instruments at speed. The contracts the trusts sign up to therefore feature avail- ability at short notice as well as the amount of equipment they can provide. Additional factors such as traffic can also affect delivery time, Coates explained.
Outsourcing services to these centres allows the advantage of a large pool of staff trained purely for decontamination, but adds differ- ent pressures in terms of turnaround time for processing and the allowance of addi- tional equipment.
Coates suggested that while this was cer- tainly progression, whether it is a move in the right direction “depends on the level of service delivered”.
Perioperative policy
The AfPP also works to influence key policy in the healthcare industry and this year it is focusing on highlighting the importance of continual professional development (CPD) for workers in the perioperative environment.
Coates said: “With all the changes with the Health & Social Care Bill and the huge eco- nomic challenges facing the healthcare sec- tor at the moment in relation to work and terms and conditions for our members, we’ve definitely seen a reduction in our numbers.
“Financial conditions in trusts can affect study leave; it might be reduced or stopped for a certain amount of time. The AfPP high- lights the importance of allowing individu- als to undergo CPD, to leave the department and develop post-basic training.
“That’s not consistent throughout the coun- try, but it’s unfair that someone will get guaranteed study time while in another trust that’s struggling for staffing levels, it’s not a priority.”
The team approach
Concerning key technological advances in the field of decontamination, Coates asserts the importance of working together to en- sure that guidance and training match up to new developments.
She said: “Disposable instruments are rela- tively new and have been quite successful in some areas. Introducing any type of new in- strument needs practice. For a practitioner, any advances in technology or use of equip- ment needs to be backed up with good train- ing and education.
“Also, it’s useful to keep in mind that a prac- titioner – a registered general nurse in the- atres, an ODP, or a support worker – uses a piece of equipment and has access to it perhaps throughout the week, Monday to Friday and sometimes medical staff use it once a week. The feedback of the practitio- ners’ use of equipment and how it performs is just as important as the one-off use of medical staff.
“The team approach; that’s important. It’s all very well if it can be used but if equip- ment comes back in an unacceptable con- dition because it’s not a good piece of equipment then that feedback should be considered.”
Tracy Coates
FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit
www.affpp.org.uk
national health executive Nov/Dec 11 | 63
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100