With decontamination of medical devices very much in the news recently, an IHEEM seminar scheduled for January will tackle this important topic in detail.
The event will take place just a few months after Synergy Health, one of the leading outsourced instrument decontamination services suppliers to the NHS, cast doubts on the standard of some instruments being supplied into UK hospitals, and on the “transparency” of the supply chain for such key medical components, during a hard-hitting Panorama television programme, “Surgery’s Dirty Secrets”. One of the key seminar speakers will be lead technologist at the Barts and the London NHS Trust, Tom Brophy, who expressed his own worries during the Panorama broadcast on the inconsistent quality, particularly, of some of the instruments reaching UK hospitals, and said sub-standard, badly made tools – from Pakistan especially – were becoming a particular problem To be held on a date in January, and at a Birmingham venue, still both to be confirmed, the seminar, “The Difficulty of Decontamination of Medical Instruments – Dirty Little Secrets”, will “aim to encourage debate on some of the problems experienced by healthcare providers striving to achieve the required standard of decontamination within the current financial climate”. Other speakers are expected to include Dr Jimmy Walker, principal investigator, Health Protection Agency; Daniel McAlonan, health and safety manager, British Dental Association, and Dr Brian Kirk, technical and professional services (senior), 3M, and secretary of IHEEM’s Decontamination Technical Platform.
Seeking to uncover ‘hidden concerns’
IHEEM’s events/education manager, Siân Barker, said: “Medical device quality, endoscopy, dentistry/community settings, the quality of water used in decontamination, and the ability to clean instrumentation effectively, all present major challenges. The seminar will uncover some of the ‘hidden concerns’ that may present major risks to the patient. “As highlighted in the Panorama programme, the level of funds available often dictate the standard of decontamination and the devices used. Quality and service are often compromised, and there have been instances where the instruments used are not to the standard required. The seminar will see experts in the field provide invaluable guidance on this very important topic.”
Infection/pest control
Planned for February 2010, meanwhile, is an IHEEM seminar in which presentations will look at two subjects of key importance both to patient welfare and overall “comfort”, which are interlinked – infection and pest control. If not properly addressed, alongside putting patients at risk, these issues can potentially create an impression of neglect and sloppy hygiene at a hospital, which may subsequently be hard to dispel. Siân Barker said: “Patients and visitors attending hospitals and other healthcare facilities should rightly expect that their treatment and care will be provided in suitable, clean surroundings, free from associated risks due to poor infection control or pest infestation. Pest control management remains a very challenging service performance area for ‘Nominated Officers’. ‘Bedbugs’, mosquitoes, ants, rodents, exotic insects, and pigeons, are all typical pests that have become more established in some parts of the UK, and are routinely detected in and around many public buildings. The need to assist waste processing on hospital premises may increase infestation risk, and there exists a real connection between effective pest control management and infection control. “Work in both areas thus needs to be proactively integrated. This seminar will address the associated risks of pest infestation and infection control, and the links between them. The speakers have extensive knowledge and applied experience.”
Future events
IHEEM is now looking into organising a series of fire safety seminars early in the New Year, with more details to follow soon. Siân Barker: “IHEEM is always keen to hear from HEJ readers on what topics they would like to see addressed at future seminars, and from those eager to offer their expertise, knowledge, and skills, in any particular area, as a speaker. September’s HEJ, in fact, incorporated a questionnaire seeking readers’ views on future seminar topics and locations, and Siân Barker said the Institute had already received some valuable views. She added: “We are already collating the responses, and the winner of a free seminar place of their choice will be announced in the November issue. The responses will help to formulate the future seminar programme, and give guidance on the preferred towns in which to hold them.” For further details on IHEEM seminars (those described above are among a number planned as part of Institute’s Autumn 2011/Winter 2012 seminar programme; all contribute towards CPD), including the full timetables, venues, and prices, visit: www.iheem.org.uk/Events or contact Siân Barker. T: 023 9282 3186. Email: sian.barker@iheem.org.uk
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