Assistant Technical officers in Cheltenham

The Sterile Services Department reprocesses reusable surgical devices for internal theatre, wards, and outpatient clinics, and provides a service to external GP surgeries and health centres. The department is operational seven days a week, and the work carried out is diverse, interesting, and varied. We deliver an essential service with opportunities to develop and progress, working together as a team to ensure timely service provision with a commitment to putting patients' procedures and wellbeing at the centre of what we do.

Responsibilities

• Attend local induction training within the Sterile Services Department and complete Trust mandatory training including corporate induction and GHNHSFT mandatory training (to include Infection Control; Safety Awareness; Fire Safety; and Information Governance).
• Complete the required competencies relevant to the work area.
• Clean, inspect, assemble, pack, seal, and barcode-label clinical packs, surgical instrument trays, and associated equipment according to written and/or verbal work instructions.
• Complete required tasks delivering timely service to customers and service users by maintaining deadlines.
• Maintain high cleaning standards in all working environments while keeping areas tidy and safe at all times.
• Assist and sometimes manage staff training sessions to progress colleagues through the required skill levels and develop an understanding of decontamination practices.
• Ensure the use of appropriate personal protective equipment as required by task and management.
• Collect soiled/contaminated items and distribute sterile packs.
• Ensure adequate levels of equipment in customer areas at all times.
• Use computer management systems for barcoding, labeling, independent monitoring, instrument tracking, and traceability.
• Respond to supervisors' requests to reprioritise work to ensure equipment is available and ready to use within customer/user deadlines.
• Test and operate specialist decontamination equipment and other major plant machinery.
• Report defects in specialist decontamination equipment and other major plant machinery to enable efficient and safe working practices.
• Assist in distribution and invoicing of goods and materials including the maintenance of stock levels of raw materials and processed items.
• Report defects in the infrastructure and the fabric of the department to enable safe and efficient working practices in line with written protocols and procedures.
• Deliver a high standard of customer service, communicating effectively with all levels of staff across departments (including all internal and external customers).
• Work on a rota basis for out of hours cover, weekends, and bank holidays as and when required.

Qualifications & Skills

• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Cleaning, inspection, assembling, packing instrument trays according to written and/or verbal work instructions.
• Good numeracy and literacy skills.
• Good retentive memory.
• Ability to work on own initiative, independently and as part of a team.
• Manual dexterity and the ability to handle heavy instrumentation.
• Willingness to learn new skills.
• No prior experience is required as full induction and training will be given.
• Good PC skills in order to use the department's tracking and traceability system.
• Work on a rota basis, including bank holidays and out of hours cover.

Gloucestershire Managed Services (GMS) provides the estates, facilities, sterile services, and materials management services for the Trust. GMS aims to provide a best value customer service that ensures a safe, compliant, and sustainable environment, supporting our customers to be efficient and effective in patient care.

Working for Gloucestershire Managed Services (GMS), a subsidiary of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GHNHSFT), you will be part of a team employing over 900 staff. GMS values professional development and offers a supportive working environment, delivering trusted operational support services to the NHS and healthcare organisations.

We are looking for Assistant Technical Officers to join our team at Cheltenham General Hospital, working Monday - Friday 7.00 - 15.00 shift pattern.