Decontamination
due to inefficiencies within SSD for 3/4 years now... thanks to process improvements built from FingerPrint’s tech,” commented Soby Joseph, Head of Sterile Services & Trust Decontamination Manager. That metric is important – not as a
productivity metric, but as a metric to represent the number of patients who didn’t experience unnecessary deterioration.
What changed and why it matters Preventative maintenance became predictive, not reactive. Where manual tracking often left maintenance schedules vulnerable to human error, FingerPrint automates alerts for instrument servicing and replacement, further reducing the likelihood of surgical delays. “Previously, we had to manually track the
usage of each tray, which was prone to human error. Now, FingerPrint will tell us that this particular tray that has been used 40 times needs to go to maintenance after 2 more uses, for example,” says Soby. Flexible traceability enables Instruments to be serviced before they can fail or become contaminated. “This feature has been invaluable. This not only
extends the lifespan of our instruments but also enhances patient safety,” adds Soby.
Loan set management Loanset management stopped being a source of hidden risk. While it’s common for NHS Trusts to order in unfamiliar instruments from external providers, either due to instrument shortage or specialist equipment needed for a particular surgery, it’s also common for these loan sets to create a host of challenges for SSD staff. Complex manufacturer instructions for
cleaning and assembly often cause processing delays or errors. Beverley Parmenter, Decontamination Quality & Resourcing Manager, describes the challenge: “When we get new instrument sets, we review the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and assembling and
they can be really challenging to learn”. With FingerPrint, the team sets up tracker alerts with embedded multimedia guidance for each phase. This way, staff can follow step-by- step protocols, meaning the cognitive load of memorising every variation disappears, mistakes disappear, and patient safety improves. This is particularly valuable for managing the increasing variety of specialist and high-value instruments entering hospital workflows, especially in fields like robotics, advanced endoscopy, and minimally invasive surgery.
Onboarding & training Training became accessible to everyone. Onboarding staff on complex surgical instruments is challenging under any circumstance. RUH’s commitment to inclusive employment through Project SEARCH which employs 40 interns with learning difficulties as full-time staff made accessibility non-negotiable. Paper-based training manuals excluded people. A staff member with dyslexia notes the difference: “As someone with dyslexia, having a digital solution makes the world of difference. With FingerPrint, I can press ‘Shift 5’ to use the
search shortcut, type part of the word, and find that instrument directly.” Digital training means having visual aids, documents, and images to support clear guidance and consistent standards. “Having everything digitised helps us get things 100% right more often, which is critical when we’re working with complex surgical equipment including robotics,” says Beverley Parmenter. Training improvements are not only
operational achievements, they directly contribute to patient safety. Well-trained staff, supported by clear digital guidance and consistent standards, reduce the risk of assembly errors, incomplete sterilisation, or misidentified instruments reaching theatre. This level of usability isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s vital. Digital transformation that excludes people isn’t transformation – it’s a new barrier. By simplifying system navigation and minimising cognitive strain, FingerPrint makes technical workflows accessible to everyone whilst maintaining patient safety at its core.
The accountability gap RUH recognised that traceability, confined to the sterile services department, remains incomplete. “The SSD gets calls from theatres asking for
kit which SSD had sent three days prior,” explains Dave Lockyer, Deputy Decontamination Manager. Theatre has no visibility into what’s actually been sent or where it is. In addition, SSD has no visibility into what theatre actually received or needs. The gap between departments is where delays happen and patient safety is risked. Closed-Loop traceability is about extending visibility beyond SSD into theatres, store-rooms, trolleys, and other key areas to close that gap. Patient safety becomes accountable at every surgical touchpoint, not just at decontamination. “Traceability is integral to our business,”
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I February 2026
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