Endoscope Decontamination Technician

Job overview

Applications are invited from enthusiastic, hardworking, self-motivated and committed individuals for the position of Endoscope Decontamination Technician.

Candidates must have a pleasant and courteous disposition and a flexible attitude towards the demands of this post.

The Central Endoscope Decontamination Unit is responsible for the decontamination of all flexible endoscopes used within the Trust. The decontamination process includes manual cleaning, use of Automatic Endoscope Re-processors, storage, tracking and tracing of scopes, and delivery to point of use.

The ideal candidate should be able to work as part of a team, use own initiative and be able to meet deadlines and work with all disciplines of staff.

Previous decontamination experience would be an advantage but the successful candidates will be given full training to support their role.

Interview Date – 10th February 2026

Main duties of the job

• To undertake the complete cycle of endoscope decontamination
• This includes the visual inspection, manual cleaning, processing in an automatic endoscope reprocessor, storing, tracking, and tracing and collection and delivery of all flexible scopes used in the Trust.
• To work within the designated area, ensuring that agreed standards are achieved.
• To implement the correct method of decontamination of the endoscopes in accordance with the manufacturers instructions and protocols as issued by the department.
• To use Endoscope Washer Disinfector (EWD) safely and correctly, Drying Cabinets and all other associated equipment as per manufacturers’ instructions.
• To work within COSHH Regulations in respect of substances used, comply with departmental procedures for use of PPE and be competent in dealing with spillages of chemicals
• To assist with all relevant tests required on endoscopes, washer disinfectors and associated equipment as per departmental protocol.
• To understand how to escalate any problems or emergency relating to decontamination equipment to the supervisor or manager
• To ensure all necessary documentation concerning the decontamination of each endoscope (tracking and tracing) is completed effectively and efficiently and in accordance with the departmental procedure (electronic and paper systems)

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our Services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• To participate in duty rota
• Receive contaminated flexible endoscopes and accessories from all areas for re-processing
• Manually clean all flexible scopes and accessories according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• To report immediately to estates/EBME/ appropriate manufacturer any faults or damage and inform senior nurse of action.
• Perform all necessary test cycles on AERs ensuring all required documentation is completed and retained appropriately.
• To demonstrate competency and understanding of decontamination of flexible endoscopes and accessories.
• To ensure high standard of tidiness and cleanliness are met throughout all areas of the department
• Participate in personal development through the appraisal process
• Participate in all external training
• To par Participate in the ISO 13485 Audits as required
• Liaise with Estates regarding equipment failure and keep department Manager or deputy informed of any delays in repair/replacement.
• To comply with current legislation and national guidance relevant to the decontamination of flexible endoscopes and their accessories.
• To comply with all Trust policies and procedures

PERSONAL & PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

• To participate in the introduction of new staff to their duties
• To ensure own personal attendance at yearly mandatory training updates in Risk management, Manual handling & Resuscitation training.
• To ensure that own personal development is maintained and recorded in line with the KSF outline for the post.

COMMUNICATION

• To maintain effective communication, keeping the Clinical Manager informed of changes affecting patients and staff, in particular, accidents or untoward incidents.
• To be aware of and maintain the requirement for confidentiality in the clinical setting in relation to both patients and colleagues.

GENERAL DUTIES

• To follow hospital policy on the management of valuable and non-valuable patient/client’s property.
• To provide support and assistance to the Department Manager by undertaking routine administrative tasks necessary for the general functioning of the department.
• To ensure the care and maintenance of equipment meets the required standard, reporting any faults or hazards to the person in charge.
• To monitor stock levels of necessary supplies, being mindful of the need for economy, and keeping the Department Manager informed of needs.

CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

• Comply fully with all policies, procedures and clinical guidelines approved by the Trust for self and others.
• Support peoples equality, diversity and rights.
• To ensure that own competency is maintained in the use of decontamination equipment relevant to the role.
• To ensure compliance to all Trust Risk Management procedures.
• To ensure compliance with all Trust research governance procedures.
• To comply with health and safety regulations.

ENVIRONMENTAL

• To ensure the environment is clean and tidy, disposing of rubbish appropriately.
• To ensure all equipment is clean and in safe working order.
• Ensure prompt reporting of faulty equipment in order to maintain a safe environment for patient, staff and visitors
• To comply with all Infection Control Policies and specifically the Trust Hand Hygiene Policy
• The strict confidentiality of all information to which the post-holder has access must maintained at all times.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Good literacy and numeracy skills essential.
• GCSE or equivalent
• Basic keyboard skill is also essential
• National Decontamination Training Programme or other Decontamination or qualification or equivalent.
• Quality system auditing experience would be valuable.

Knowledge & Experience

• Previous experience of working in the Endoscopy Department or medical device decontamination manufacturing or production environment.
• Experience of working within a peri-operative care setting or healthcare related clinical environment would be a considerable advantage

Skills

• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to use initiative
• Flexible
• Awareness of Health and Safety at work requirements, COSHH, and Manual handling
• Knowledge of Quality Systems and Quality system auditing

Other

• To be able to stand for long periods of time
• Required to be nimble fingered to carry out repetitive tasks
• The ability to work logically & sequentially as dictated by the workload
• Able to recognise different scopes and serial numbers
• Must be flexible to work hours required to meet the demands of the department.
• Must be able to work weekends, bank holidays
• Motivated, Enthusiastic, Patience

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact Recruitment@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk

We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.

The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

eVisa Update

For successful candidates on selected work and study visa routes, who have completed and paid for their applications will no longer receive a visa vignette in passport as evidence of their permission to enter the UK. Instead, you will be issued with an eVisa only, which is accessed by creating a UKVI account. Before travelling to the UK, we advise applicants to:

• Understand how to generate an eVisa share code

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 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.

Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.

If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

Flexible Working

We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:

• All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
• There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
• Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.

At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.

Working for Team MWL

Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website.

You will be expected to undertake the Trusts\’ commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.

Additional Information

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here .

An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.

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