New AE (D) role should benefit patient safety

Mick Compton is an experienced decontamination and sterilisation expert, and former Authorised Person (Sterilisers) [AP (S)] who, prior to his retirement in January, had worked in the field since 1974 within the UK and US healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. He explained to me during an in-depth discussion that the new AE (D) role had formally come into existence in tandem with the October 2006 publication of Department of Health Health Technical Memorandum HTM 00, Policy and Principles, and, more recently, Part A of the DH’s new HTM 01-01. The latter covers decontamination of reusable medical devices, while Part B, on which a period of consultation ended recently, will cover “equipment”. HTM 01-01 Part A, Decontamination of reusable medical devices – management and environment, sets out the qualifications for, roles and responsibilities, of the individual to be known as an Authorising Engineer (Decontamination). It goes on to examine also how AE (D)s will work, within a new structure within NHS Trusts, with personnel including senior operational managers, decontamination leads, and a new tranche of Authorised Persons (Decontamination), to ensure that the highest possible decontamination and sterilisation standards are attained and maintained.

Sole UK body

IHEEM held the register for Authorised Persons (Sterilisers) throughout the earlier role’s existence, from 1994 (when a new HTM, 2010 Part 1, first formally identified that role) until the AP (S)’s replacement last summer by the new AE (D) role. It remains, as with the AP (S), the only UK institute to hold the register for the new AE (D) position. The Institute housed a voluntary register for some 36 AP (S)s from 1996 onwards under delegated Department of Health powers, and is now the sole UK body with the power to examine and assess potential candidates for AE (D) registration, including by a peer review panel. If satisfied, following the interview process, that the individual does indeed have the necessary experience and skills, the Institute will then grant them formal registration. All AP (S)s formerly registered with the Institute have now achieved AE (D) registration under a transition scheme but, in common with those applying “from scratch” for registration, will need to re-register every three years to prove that their skills and expertise remain up-to-date.