Can the sector afford not to comply?

The recent study day, held in the Botanical Gardens, Birmingham, was the latest in a series of popular annual decontamination events organised by the Central Sterilising Club (CSC). The setting would have provided a beautiful array of colours had it not been for the horrendous weather that crossed the Midlands on that particular day. The CSC is a multi-disciplinary club of professionals from the public and private sectors, which was set up over 50 years ago, originally with the aim of discussing and reviewing sterilisation methods as they were in 1960. The sterilisation sector has changed dramatically over the years; it now encompasses the whole field of decontamination which, where possible, follows the principles of the reusable life cycle. The revised lifecycle from the new CFPP0101 Part A guidance is shown in Figure 1.

 CSC’s varied membership

The membership of the Club is varied, ranging from microbiologists, infection control officers, theatre management personnel, equipment manufacturers and their representatives, to sterile services department managers, endoscopy managers, estates officers, and Authorising Engineers (Decontamination). The all-day seminar in Birmingham attracted around 130 delegates, many of whom were club members, but there was also a fair proportion of non-members present, who were very welcome. A number of speakers from the NHS and the private sector provided wide-ranging and informative presentations. Uppermost in delegates’ minds was the subject of new guidance recently issued by the Department of Health in England concerning the decontamination of medical devices. The Choice Framework for local Policy and Procedures (CFPP) 01 series has been developed to replace some of the much-loved and familiar guidance documents previously issued in Health Technical Memoranda form. The design and format of these documents has been controversial, and the term ‘choice’ remains somewhat controversial in a sector that has based itself on promoting the adherence to, and compliance with, standards (both national and international). The day’s first presenter was Stuart Line, author of the eagerly awaited CFPP 01-06 ‘Decontamination of Flexible Endoscopes’, and a retired microbiologist and former Authorised Person (Sterilisers).