Job vacancy: Sterile Services Department - Decontamination Technician, 279 University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Chichester

Job summary

Main area: Sterile Services Department - Decontamination Technician
Grade: Band 2
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 279-7289101-AUG25

Employer: 279 University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Sterile Services Department - St Richards Hospital
Town: Chichester
Salary: £24,465 - £26,598 Per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 19/08/2025 23:59

Sterile Services Department - Decontamination Technician

Band 2

About our Trust

At UHSussex we’re proud to be at the heart of the NHS. As one of the UK’s largest acute Trusts, we’re a leading example of the excellence, the ambition and the values that have embodied the NHS for over 70 years.

Our hard-working, talented and dedicated people work together towards a common goal – to always put our Patient First . In fact our mission is summed up by our ‘where better never stops’ motto and you will play a part in driving us forwards and in improving the lives of patients across Sussex.

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Sterile Services Department is responsible for the provision of an instrument tray to all theatres, departments and wards on the St. Richards, Worthing and Southlands sites and supplementary instruments/packs to specialist users based in the community/district, for use in direct patient care. This service is compliant with ISO 13485 – Quality System, UK Medical Device Directive 2002, Health Service Circular 2000 (032) – Instrument Tracking, and the Health and Social Care Act.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Communication

· To communicate all relevant information within the team to ensure the continual and efficient running of the service

· To communicate and liaise between decontamination personnel, customers and other members of healthcare staff in a polite and helpful manner.

· To attend and actively participate in the Department’s meetings

· To work as part of a team and liaise with the multidisciplinary team in a professional manner at all times

Risk Management

· Promote a risk management culture within your working environment and ensuring participation and involvement of all staff, in line with the Trust’s risk management strategy and policies.

· Identify potential risks that may impact on the Trusts ability and communicate these effectively.

· Health & safety is the responsibility of all staff and the postholder is required to take due care at work, report any accidents or untoward occurrences and comply with the Trust Health & Safety policy.

Service Delivery and Improvement

· To test all plant, including washer disinfectors, ultrasonics and autoclaves to ensure compliance with all current standards.

· Undertake daily tests on the department’s equipment to ensure compliance with UK Legislation.

· To operate complex disinfection/sterilization decontamination machinery/systems.

· Provide a comprehensive decontamination service to theatres, wards departments and the community.

· Meet the demands of the department’s workload whilst consistently achieving high quality standards.

Patient Care Delivery

· The Trust has a statutory duty to ensure that patients, clients and members of the public are consulted and involved in decisions about local health service developments. You should be mindful of this and do what you can, as appropriate to your role and level of responsibility, to meet this duty.

· To participate in the Bank holiday and on-call rota.

· Provide a comprehensive decontamination service to theatres, wards departments and the community.

· Meet the demands of the department’s workload whilst consistently achieving high quality standards.

Learning and Development

· Attend mandatory training updates as required.

· Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with the line manager as part of the personal development process.

· Achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales.

· Identify own learning needs and jointly plan training requirements with your line manager.

· Participate in the Trust’s appraisal process to discuss how your role will help deliver the best possible care to our patients and help to deliver any changes in service.

· Ensure that self and staff participate in the relevant mandatory training.

· Undertake the technical certificate

Please see job description & person specs full details

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

GCSE Maths/English/Science (0r equivalent)

Desirable criteria

Completion of an Idsc Technical Certificate

Knowledge & Experience

Desirable criteria

Previous health care worker
Experiance of working within an SSD

Skills

Essential criteria

Good handwriting, reading and numeracy skills
Possession of good keyboard and computer skills
Demonstrate good interpersonal and communication skills both orally and written
Ability to work as part of a team and/or independently
Able to prioritise and meet deadlines

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

Self motivated, enthusiastic, ambitious and reliable employment record
Attention to detail and team worker

Flexibilty

Essential criteria

Flexibility with working hours to ensure quality of service is maintained at all times

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Essential criteria

Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role
Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues

Important information for applicants:

A Note on AI Use in Applications
We value the individuality and authenticity that each candidate brings to the application process. While AI tools are increasingly accessible, we strongly discourage their use in completing your application. Your responses should reflect your own voice, experiences, and motivations—elements that are essential to a fair and accurate evaluation.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may misrepresent your abilities and could result in your application being rejected. We encourage you to take the time to present your genuine self, as this helps us better understand your potential and ensures a transparent selection process.

Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.

Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.

Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.

DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check . We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.

Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.

UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications

Further Information

For help with the application process for Nursing vacancies, please email [email protected].

For help with the application process for Non-Nursing vacancies, please email [email protected].