About this role
Job summary
Join a vital team at Bedford Hospital where your work directly supports safe, high-quality patient care.
As a Decontamination Assistant, you will play a key role in ensuring reusable medical devices -- including endoscopes -- are cleaned, disinfected, and sterilised to the highest standards. Working within both the Sterile Services Department and the Endoscope Decontamination Unit, you will follow strict ISO-accredited policies, procedures, and work instructions to maintain safety, compliance, and excellence.
This is a hands-on and essential role where attention to detail and teamwork are critical. You will support all decontamination-related duties, ensuring clinical teams have safe, ready-to-use equipment at all times while adhering to departmental standards across all areas.
The successful candidate will be committed to delivering a safe, compliant, and high-quality service for all customers and stakeholders. You will be motivated, adaptable, and flexible with working hours, including weekends, and demonstrate a willingness to undertake all training required to excel in the role.
At Bedford Hospital, our priority is to provide the standard of care we would expect for our own loved ones. We are dedicated to creating a supportive and rewarding workplace, ensuring we have the right people in the right roles to deliver outstanding patient care and experience.
This is a full-time position working Tuesday to Friday from 14:00 to 22:00, and Saturday from 12:00 to 20:00.
Main duties of the job
The Decontamination Service at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust comprises the Sterile Services Department and the Endoscopy Decontamination Unit. Both areas are responsible for supplying sterile and disinfected reusable medical devices to wards, departments and theatres across the Trust. This work includes the collection, decontamination, preparation, packing, sterilisation or disinfection, and distribution of reusable medical devices.
Key duties include:
Receiving, sorting and preparing reusable medical devices, including endoscopes, for cleaning and disinfection.
Inspecting, re-assembling, function-testing, packaging, sealing and labelling devices that have been successfully washed, disinfected and dried.
Conducting independent checks of instrument trays prepared by others, ensuring all contents are correct and reporting any discrepancies.
Maintaining an understanding of the basic types and categories of instruments and flexible scopes, recognising their functions and identifying key inspection and testing points.
About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our valuesWe not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Job description Job responsibilities
The Job Description and Person Specification are attached to this vacancy; please review them for full details and responsibilities.
Key duties include:
Inspecting instruments and equipment on receipt into the decontamination area and at various stages of production, storage and distribution, and immediately reporting any damaged or missing items or components.
Dismantling and assembling instrumentation in line with manufacturers recommendations following the cleaning and disinfection process.
Ensuring all packaging, wrapping and labelling of instrument sets and supplementary items is completed in accordance with legislation, guidance and service requirements.
Maintaining an understanding of the different sterilisation and disinfection methods used, and recognising the importance of product liability in relation to the reuse of medical devices.
Carrying out quality checks to confirm that devices have been correctly decontaminated and are safe for patient use.
Taking appropriate action if there is any doubt about the effectiveness of the decontamination process, and reporting or documenting any failures to the Decontamination Services Manager
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Excellent English - communication skills, written and verbal
Experience Desirable
Previous experience in a Healthcare Environment
Knowledge Essential
Good Organisational Skills Basic I.T Skills Manual Dexterity Attention to Details
Desirable
Knowledge of Quality Management System - ISO 13485 / ISO9001
Personal Skills Essential
Good Timekeeper, changed as per policy and commence shift as indicated Ability to stand for lengthy periods of time Team focussed Reliable, Adaptable and Dependable Willing to undertake training as required Proactive approach and participation in the Quality Management System Ability to be Self directional
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address Bedford Hospital
Kempston Road
Bedford
MK42 9DJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/working-here/ (Opens in a new tab)