‘Commitment’ secures rooftop SSD contract

Currently the NHS in England carries out 93% of sterile services work in-house on site.1 With this in mind Foundation Trusts are taking the initiative to develop new facilities or refurbish existing SSDs. Standards are being driven due to the real issue of healthcareassociated infections (HCAIs), and it is thus vital that clinical staff and hospital management establish upgraded facilities on their sites. The national decontamination review1 undertaken in 2008 indicates that the fabric of existing sterile services departments varies across the country, with many in need of extensive refurbishment. All facilities should comply with the principles contained within Health Building Note HBN 13, to ensure that the built environment does not compromise the process of decontamination and that optimum standards are achieved. The nature of the service is becoming increasingly technical, with efficient and high quality operation dependent on factors such as qualified management, high specification of technology, instrument tracking systems, and compliance with all regulations and accreditations, alongside logistics planning. With these advanced changes it is becoming a very specialised area. NHS Trusts therefore need to look for guidance and support from experienced and qualified supply networks. Yeovil District Hospital (YDH) NHS Foundation Trust recently decided to build a new SSD within Yeovil Hospital. Local demand and the requirement to upgrade the existing sterile services facilities identified that development of the new SSD in a strategic location within the existing hospital complex should be a priority. YDH invited tenders for the contract, estimated at around £2.5 million, via the competitive OJEU route, to ensure that the most experienced specialist contractors were assigned for the complex design and build. cfes Medical Construction, a division of cfes, was selected as the preferred contractor for the design, build, commissioning, and certification of the new SSD.

Changing operational culture

Our key approach at cfes when building specialist SSD facilities is to change the operational culture of the centres by working closely with all parties involved at the hospital throughout the entire decontamination cycle. Fundamentally, working in unison with the Trust is essential. However, cfes also recognises and values the importance of working closely with those at the heart of the day-to-day running of the department, including critical care matrons and SSD managers. These relationships are created and nurtured right through the design, build, commissioning, and validation stages. We also recognise the importance of effective training and continual professional development, and will work within an operations support role for YDH, assisting the SSD manager in developing training plans, writing a Quality Management System (to conform to HTM 01-01 Decontamination), and staff development reviews. The new SSD will comply with the requirements of Directive 93/42/EEC and ISO 13485 and 9001. ISO 13485 is focused on implementing and maintaining an effective quality management system (QMS) for, in the case of an SSD, the correct re-processing of medical devices. To ensure stringent standards, objectives of the QMS are met and easily sustained providing that the correct working environment and efficient layout/workflow process are both key. This is where our knowledge of HBN 13 and the relevant HTMs (01-01, 03-01, 2010, 2030, 2031 etc.) comes into play, alongside our previous project experience, which enables us to make informed decisions on key process items.