Decontamination training
initially difficult to understand how such variance can occur. However, if protocols are being set by staff who have not been subject to nationally standardised training, it becomes much easier to draw a connection between variance in input and variance in output. Standardised, equally accessible training for decontamination staff could provide a wide range of benefits. First, knowledge and skills would be more
transferable, allowing for greater circulation among the workforce and faster induction cycles for staff with prior experience. Second, protocols developed from standardised training would align much more closely. These would then have secondary impacts, such as the opportunity for much more collaborative working between different organisations, more opportunity for shared learning and professional discussion, as staff face common challenges and can arrive at common solutions.
Preventative maintenance – standardised training There are a number of recent international studies which may offer the NHS a signpost to follow. Several studies from China show the positive impact that training has upon decontamination/support service staff and, by extension, the performance of their organisations. A 2023 study by Wu et al introduced a standardised training programme into ICU and found that a wide range of safety-critical behaviours improved significantly throughout the staff groups involved.10 In another example, more specific to decontamination operators, a second study introduced standardised training to nurses (in China, the decontamination operator role is performed by nurses) working in decontamination. This study recognised that one of the key challenges to training this cohort of staff (a challenge shared by the UK) is releasing them for long periods of training when their role is so demanding on their time. The study authors introduced an e-learning component which allowed the staff to learn in “fragmented time” – in other words, small windows that fit within their schedule. This approach not only led to better individual learning outcomes, but the subject organisation reported a number of secondary benefits, such as improved time management and spread of training to wider teams.11 This awareness of modes of training and the need for them to integrate with the role of the learner, is borne out by research on training effectiveness conducted by Garavan et al in 2020. This study concluded that “where design components are effectively
executed this will lead to a sequence of positive cognitive, affective and satisfaction reactions that then lead to positive learning outcomes on transfer.”12
Applying this to the specific role
of the decontamination operator, a design component such as fragmented time learning could reasonably be expected to deliver positive learning outcomes. This transfer of knowledge, retention of learning and ability to apply it in new contexts, should lead to reductions in instrument error, which would in turn cascade positive outcomes up to surgical theatres and impact patient safety overall. A study conducted in Wales attempted a number of interventions in operating rooms with the aim to reduce risk and promote a culture of safety. One of the six interventions listed by staff as having made a positive contribution was the introduction of standardised training.
Interestingly, the study authors note in their conclusions that it was difficult to spread this positive impact beyond the pilot theatre.13 This arguably points to the importance of standardised training needing to be rolled out for all staff and not cascaded internally.
Conclusion: the cost of doing nothing Budgetary constraint is a reality for the NHS at this moment in time, and while the 10-Year Plan has been welcomed by many, it remains to be seen what impact, if any, it will have on the provision of training to support sterile service staff who serve a critical function to their organisations. The Arrowe Park incident and the consequences for 1300 patients was not caused by a lack of training, but it underscores the potential harm if decontamination is allowed
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Extensive material compatibility backed through real-world validation
Sterile rinse step
prevents recontamination after disinfection
Find out
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May 2026 I
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 37
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