Comment EDITOR’S COMMENTwith LOUISE FRAMPTON THE CLINICAL SERVICES JOURNAL
DECONTAMINATION & STERILISATION
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55 Encouraging an inclusive IDSc STEP COMMUNICATIONS ISSN No. 1478-5641
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The Institute of Decontamination Sciences recently announced a new chair in November 2025. The Clinical Services Journal’s spoke to Dean Burand about his plans for both the Institute and the decontamination sector. High on the agenda was the need for promoting inclusivity, collaborative networks, and investment in education.
61 The need for objective testing in SSDs
For many years, sterile services departments have relied on a comforting assumption: if an instrument appears clean, has followed the appropriate decontamination process, and has been sterilised according to validated procedures, it is safe for use. That assumption is now being quietly but consistently challenged. Dan Coole provides an insight.
65 Putting decontamination centre stage
Each year, the Central Sterilising Club (CSC) hosts two key educational events – the Autumn Study Day and the Annual Scientific Meeting. CSJ takes a look at the highlights of the CSC’s most recent event and provides an insight into what’s coming up next…
69 Arrival of the decontamination Cobots
Chris Helson provides an insight into the arrival of collaborative robots – known as cobots – into sterile services departments. In this article, Chris outlines how this innovative technology could disrupt the status quo and transform pre-cleaning and inspection processes.
73 Expanding the scope of UV-C
Jørn Terkelsen discusses the hidden reservoirs of contamination in clinical environments and argues that episodic decontamination is no longer enough.
76 Ensuring high standards of competency
Prab Chadha explores the importance of structured, competency-based training in maintaining high standards within the decontamination sector. He examines current challenges, outlines best practice in education and assessment, and argues that investment in high-quality training is essential to sustaining compliance, resilience and patient safety – now and in the future.
Follow the CSJ LinkedIn page. Search Clinical Services Journal 80 The top five challenges in sterile services
Naomi Allkins discusses the key challenges facing sterile services departments today, and looks at some of the innovative ways in which they are being addressed.
April 2026 I
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 51 Contents
louiseframpton@stepcomms.com Get in touch and give us your views, email me:
Looking to the future of decontamination
In this special edition of the Decontamination Supplement, I had the pleasure of interviewing the IDSc’s new Chairman, Dean Burand, who highlighted the importance of education, professional recognition, supporting innovation, as well as inclusivity. Sterile services departments (SSDs) are the backbone of UK hospitals, keeping surgery lists moving and keeping patients safe, and yet they are not given the recognition or investment that they deserve. Education is key to advancing safe patient care and we must invest in developing the competency of staff working in sterile services. There are a growing number of conferences, training opportunities and professional qualifications available today, providing great opportunities to share and deepen the sector’s knowledge. But we also need to bring on the next generation; to make decontamination a career that appeals to young people who are making their first steps into healthcare sciences. They are the future of this industry, after all. This edition aims to highlight the sector’s valuable contributions; shining a light on the innovation, best practice, and passion that is evident across the UK’s SSDs.
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