Directorate: Professional Nursing and AHP Services
Location: Omagh Hospital & Primary Care Complex OR South West Acute Hospital
Contract and Hours: A waiting list for any Permanent, Temporary, Full-Time and Part-Time vacancies that may arise throughout the Southern Sector area until 31st July 2026 initially.
Closing date: 9 February 2026
Role purpose
Working as an assistant within the Hospital Sterilisation Disinfection Unit to support the decontamination of medical devices.
To ensure that a high quality decontamination and sterilisation service is provided to Users of HSDU and Endoscopy Decontamination Units within the WHSCT.
Main duties and responsibilities
- Be able to consistently produce accurate work to a high standard according to the written procedures and standards of practice within the department.
- Work within a team and report directly to a HSDU Technical Officer.
- Collect, check and accurately record all re-usable items and instruments from Wards, Theatres and Endoscope units.
- Decontaminate, pack, wrap, barcode label and sterilise comprehensive theatre trays. Familiarise themselves with the names of the instruments to be assembled and fill in accompanying check lists.
- Cover all specialities of surgery and be familiar with all related instrumentation. Keep up to date with daily changes to tray lists and the introduction of new instrumentation.
- Identify, assemble, pack, seal and apply barcode label to all single instruments for HSDU and Endoscope users.
- Be competent with the decontamination of Endoscopes including manual cleaning. Be proficient in the use of the Endoscope Washer Disinfectors (EWD’s) including the identification of channel parameters. Prioritise Endoscope decontamination according to daily procedure lists.
- Liaise daily with all Theatres and Departments where necessary by telephone about non-conformities including problems with broken instruments and repairs. Report same to other members of the HSDU management team.
- Become familiar with the barcode system for traceability for instruments and Endoscopes. Use the barcode I.T. system to scan all trays and Endoscopes in all areas of the Department and to request information for the location of trays and updated tray lists.
- Operation and observation of washer-disinfector performance according to departmental procedures, ensuring adequate detergent levels and temperatures are recorded and correct. Attend to problems on same when occurring and report to Estate services if necessary.
- Be familiar with the washer-disinfector and EWD’s, I.T. independent validation system and record details of parameters on a daily basis.
- Test and operate Autoclaves according to departmental procedures.
- Be responsible for stock levels for items used within decontamination facilities.
- Be familiar with and abide by Health & Safety regulations including COSHH.
- Attend to general cleaning of all work surfaces and departmental machines and record same.
For complete details view the full job description in the Additional Information section below.
