Registration & Networking

Chair Opening Address - Dr. Sulisti Holmes, Head of Decontamination and Incident Investigation Reporting Centre, NHS Scotland Assure (Confirmed)

Identification and prevention of surface alterations on surgical Instruments caused by waterborne minerals 

Synopsis TBC

Publications of SHTM 01-05

The development process, main changes and what does it means to dental community?

Microbial Contamination of Final Rinse Water for Endoscope Washer Disinfectors

• Identification of the cause of high bacterial total viable counts (TVC) in the final rinse water from the Endoscopy Washer Disinfectors
• The collaborative multi-disciplinary process undertaken to identify potential causes for this
• Conclusions and the actions taken to resolve this issue

Q&A

Morning Break

Chair Morning Reflection - Dr. Sulisti Holmes, Head of Decontamination and Incident Investigation Reporting Centre, NHS Scotland Assure (Confirmed)

Clinical impact of incidents of final rinse water for endoscopes

Synopsis TBC

RMD Decontamination Policy and Guidance In NHS Scotland

A short overview of new and revised NHS Scotland  Reusable Medical Device decontamination guidance.

Case Study - Wassenburg

An overview of a customers issues and subsequent actions to resolve those using a collaborative approach with both the customer and third party partners.

Case Study - Nanosonics

This conference session will highlight the significance of endoscope-associated outbreaks in healthcare, summarising recent literature on endoscope-associated outbreaks and examine build-up biofilm as a root cause. Included will be an overview of current methods and technologies for effective build-up biofilm removal from endoscopes.

Q&A

Lunch and Networking

Chair Afternoon Address - Vanda Plecko, Consultant Microbiologist & Infection Control Doctor, NHS Highland (Confirmed)

Updates on changes within UK MDR regulations, and its impact in the healthcare sector.

Decontamination Challenges – Pioneering The Future

Decontamination, standards, as we know them today, evolved as an industry in the late 1990’s, early 2000’s. Concerns increased regarding the prevention of hospital acquired infections (HAI) and minimising the reduction of the risk of iatrogenic transmission of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), especially the hypothetical risk of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD).

As surgical techniques advance, the realm of medical devices are transforming into increasingly sophisticated technologies, many of which involve robotic and AI systems. Is the science of Decontamination keeping pace? Should our Health Technical Memorandums be more pro-active and easier to review and change?

Government directives, related to sustainability and the transition to net zero, provides difficulties to Decontamination providers. We are being urged to evaluate our systems and consider whether our decontamination practises can be more environmentally friendly?  Does such change return us to bygone days with acknowledged risks?

Historically medical device decontamination has been based upon the criteria listed within the Spaulding classification for microbial reduction. This guidance evolved around the Second world war and is this still relevant?

As Henry Ford stated, ‘If we always do what we always done, we always get, what we always got’. Is it time for revolution or evolution?

Lean Trays

Myself and the Lean Trays Project Manager Steven Chawk will be presenting our work on Lean Trays within the National Green Theatre Programme at the Centre for Sustainable Delivery. We will present the rationale for lean surgical trays and our progress on the Scotland wide project.

Evaluation of the performance of test soils used to validate washer disinfector

Synopsis TBC

Q&A

Closing Remarks

End of Day