Decontamination of Equipment and the ... - NHS Lanarkshire

NHS Lanarkshire
Health Protection Committee
SECTION I – Decontamination of Equipment and
the Environment (including the use of single-use and
single-patient use items
Section
Effective
From
I
October
2013
Replaces Jan 2010
Review
Date
September
2016
1. INTRODUCTION
It is not always possible to identify people who are infectious from those who are not.
Therefore, to ensure the safety of those being cared for, staff and visitors in the care
environment must apply Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs). SICPs are intended
for use by all staff, in all care settings, at all times, for all individuals whether infection is
known to be present, or not. This guideline should be read in conjunction with the National
Infection Prevention and Control Manual Chapter 1: Standard Infection Control Precautions as
contained within NHSL’S Control of Infection Manual accessible through FirstPort via:
http://firstport2/staff-support/healthcare-associatedinfection/Control%20of%20Infection%20Manual/Chapter%201Version%202.1.pdf
This guideline provides additional actions necessary for the safe use of medical devices and
appropriate use of decontamination processes in NHS Lanarkshire to minimise the risk of
healthcare associated infection. Medical devices can pose significant hazards to patients if they
are reprocessed inadequately or incorrectly. Additionally risks can arise from equipment that
should not be reprocessed, i.e. single-use items.
2. THE USE OF SINGLE-USE AND SINGLE-PATIENT USE EQUIPMENT
Prior to use packaging must be checked for single-use markings and decontamination
instructions (see Appendix 1).
Items marked “Single-Use” must be used once, on one patient, and discarded as clinical waste.
Items marked “Single-Patient-Use” may be decontaminated and only reused on the same patient
provided the manufacturer’s instructions on decontamination and reuse are followed.
3. PRINCIPLES OF CLEANING, DISINFECTION AND STERILISATION
The decontamination method selected should be based on the risk of the item acting as a source
or vehicle of infection and the optimum process that the item will tolerate.
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