Decontamination
she thrived in high-pressure environments, supporting thousands of surgical procedures across specialties. Recognising the critical role of infection prevention, Claire transitioned into a Decontamination Lead role seven years ago. In this position, she has spearheaded initiatives to elevate sterilisation protocols for surgical instruments and clinical environments. Becky Peach has built an extensive career within the operating department, working across both the NHS and the independent sector. Beginning her career as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP), she has taken on a variety of roles, including Deputy Theatre Manager, Ward Manager, and Theatre Matron. These positions have allowed her to develop a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of surgical services, from patient care to theatre management.
Over the years, she has been instrumental in driving improvements in theatre utilisation and clinical productivity, with a particular focus on optimising the surgical process to reduce patient wait times. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that all necessary surgical instruments and equipment are available and decontaminated in a timely manner, a crucial element in maintaining high standards of patient care and safety. In recent years, Becky Peach has transitioned
into a leadership role dedicated to clinical productivity, with a heavy focus on surgical instrument requirements and decontamination processes. The pair explained that the teaching Trust has three acute sites at the Leicester Royal
I’m proud to say we are at 88% [utilisation]. We have jumped up really quickly. But why am I telling you this? What effect is this having on our sterile services? What effect is it having on our instruments? We’re absolutely pounding the kit that we’ve got,” Claire Jones-Manning exclaimed. The Trust now uses a federated data platform
Infirmary, the Leicester General Hospital and the Glenfield Hospital, and oversees 55 operating theatres. Claire Jones-Manning shared an insight into the huge pressures facing operating theatres following the recovery from the pandemic and the extent of the backlog. “We need to make savings, we need to be lean, we need to be more effective, and we need to be more productive – with less money,” she commented. She went on to explain that, due to the
challenges faced during COVID-19, they are now seeing more complex emergencies coming through the doors. “This is really sad, and it makes us less productive in what we’re trying to do with our elective utilisation,” she commented, adding that the solution is to “Get it Right First Time” (GIRFT) and utilise theatres more. “That’s how you can see more patients,” she continued. She explained that Becky’s role is to ensure that the theatres “do more”: “So far, this year,
– a scheduling tool that NHS England has been promoting. “It is an amazing tool,” she reported. “Your patients are on the waiting list and they get booked into an operating theatre. It tells you what percentage your theatre is booked to; and we now have rules – I chair a meeting every Wednesday morning, called a ‘session allocation schedule’. “This is where my peers and my bosses all
challenge each other: why aren’t you going to your baseline sessions? Where are your theatre staff. Who is the anaesthetist?...With these baseline sessions, we have all signed a piece of paper to say, ‘yes I will deliver’. As part of that, they must have booked their lists,” she explained. “They must be at 85% booked and above in week one and, at week two, it is 75%. This is locked, so we know what operations are coming through. But do we share this with our SSD partners? Somebody may come along and say, ‘I need to do an additional list; I have some patients who are really long waiters.’ But do we tell you?” “On a Thursday, our general managers discuss
the operating list with theatre staff. Theatre staff are there, along with the anaesthetists, and we know exactly what’s booked onto those lists. We lock those lists down. Have we ordered the kit? Is the kit available? Do we have to fast track
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