About this role
Job summary
The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust is looking to recruit an individual to act as a Trust-wide Decontamination Officer, providing assurance that decontamination practices comply with national guidance (HTM01-01 and HTM 01-06), Trust policy, and quality standards.
The post holder will coordinate and deliver a programme of decontamination audits across all Trust sites, chair the Decontamination Safety Group (DSG), and escalate risks and non-compliance through appropriate governance structures.
The role will act as a central point of contact for decontamination issues, supporting services to improve compliance, reduce risk, and maintain patient safety.
This position covers all Trust sites, therefore, the position holder must be able to travel between sites.
Closing date of applications: 13 September 2026
Interview date: 23 September 2026
Main duties of the job
The post holder supports the Trust in maintaining compliance with decontamination legislation, relevant Health Technical Memoranda (HTM), ISO standards, and regulatory requirements including Care Quality Commission (CQC) and NHS England.
The role is responsible for undertaking scheduled decontamination audits across all Trust sites, ensuring that policies, procedures, and practices are reviewed against best practice, national guidance and meet, as a minimum, Essential Quality Requirements (EQR), with progression towards Best Practice (BP).
The post holder is responsible for the implementation and monitoring of decontamination policies and procedures, ensuring they remain effective and aligned to national standards and quality management systems.
The role maintains audit records, trackers, and action plans, ensuring non-conformances are identified, documented, and escalated appropriately through the governance forums.
The post holder provides advice and guidance to clinical and non-clinical teams on decontamination compliance following audits, highlighting risks relating to processes, equipment and practice, acting as a point of contact for decontamination queries, and escalating concerns appropriately.
The role is responsible for coordinating and chairing the Decontamination Safety Group (DSG), ensuring actions are recorded, monitored, and escalated appropriately, supporting effective communication of decontamination performance and risks across the Trust.
About us
As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together
Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.
In return we will offer:
Development opportunities, both professional and leadership development On-going support from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond. Staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes Key Facts:
We see on average 4810 OP appointments a day. We are the 4th busiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England - an average of 2077 per week. An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&Es across our network every day - 3rd largest in the country. Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily. Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres. We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres. We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day. UHDB is a research active University Hospital with a large and varied portfolio of clinical trials and research opportunities for all staff.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please see attached Job description and Person Specification. To apply please click APPLY FOR THIS JOB this link will take you to the TRAC Recruitment Site. You will need to register if you do not already have an account.
UHDB is committed to fair and transparent recruitment. We welcome authentic applications that reflect your own skills, experience and motivations for the role. While we understand that candidates may use AI tools for grammar, formatting or accessibility purposes, applications that appear to be substantially AIgenerated may be subject to additional review. If this applies to your submission, we will let you know and may ask for clarification. Please ensure your application accurately represents your experience and is written in your own words.
Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click on the link to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorshipSkilled worker: Health and Care Visa | NHS Employers
Important visa information: Due to UK Home Office immigration rule changes effective from 22 July 2025, applicants sponsored under Occupation Code 6131 (Nursing Auxiliaries and Assistants) may not be eligible to bring dependants under the Skilled Worker route if their Certificate of Sponsorship is issued on or after this date. Applicants are responsible for understanding how these rules apply to their individual circumstances. The Trust cannot provide immigration advice. Further information is available on the Skilled Worker visa: Your partner and children - GOV.UK
Your application (for shortlisting purposes) is assessed based on the Person Specification in the job advert (below).
Person Specification
Education, Training and Qualifications CPD Requirements Essential
Educated to Level 4 (or equivalent experience in decontamination / healthcare environment) Awareness of HTM 01-01 and HTM 01-06
Desirable
Internal audit training Decontamination Lead course
Experience & Knowledge Essential
Experience of working within a decontamination or regulated healthcare environment Experience of undertaking audits or compliance checks Working knowledge of decontamination processes for reusable medical devices Understanding of traceability systems and documentation requirements Experience of providing advice or guidance to staff on decontamination practices Awareness of Trust-wide decontamination standards and governance processes
Desirable
Experience working across multiple departments or sites Experience supporting external inspections (e.g. JAG, CQC) Awareness of ISO standards Knowledge of the requirements for decontamination
Skills and Ability Essential
Ability to work independently and act as a point of contact for decontamination queries across multiple areas Strong organisational and time management skills Ability to prioritise and coordinate workload across sites Ability to collect, interpret and present audit findings Good IT skills Report writing and minute taking skills
Desirable
Ability to identify trends and continuous improvement Experience using audit or compliance databases
Other requirements Essential
Ability to travel across Trust sites Flexible approach to working hours Willingness to develop knowledge and skills in decontamination and governance
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details Employer name University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
Address Royal Derby Hospital
Derby and Burton Upon Trent
DE22 3NE
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.uhdb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)