Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Autoclave
- A machine that sterilises instruments using saturated steam under pressure; a bench-top steriliser is a small autoclave used within a clinic.
- Blood-borne virus (BBV)
- An infection such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV that can be passed on through blood.
- Calibration
- Checking and adjusting a machine's gauges, sensors and timers so its readings are accurate.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD)
- A facility, on-site or external, that provides decontamination and sterilisation services for reusable instruments.
- Cleaning
- The physical removal of visible soil, organic matter and microorganisms; it must be done before disinfection and sterilisation can work.
- Cleaning-efficacy test
- A check confirming that a washer-disinfector is removing soil from instruments as intended.
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)
- The law for safely managing chemicals and other hazardous substances at work.
- Decontamination
- The combined process of cleaning, disinfecting and, where needed, sterilising equipment so it is safe to reuse.
- Disinfection
- A process that greatly reduces the number of living microorganisms on an item, though it may not kill all microbial spores.
- Endoscope (flexible)
- A flexible tube with a camera used to look inside the body; it needs special decontamination because of its long internal channels.
- Enzymatic cleaner
- A detergent containing enzymes that helps break down and remove blood, tissue and other organic soil from instruments.
- Fundamental standards
- The minimum standards of safety and quality below which care must never fall.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- The main law requiring employers to protect the health and safety of staff and others affected by their work.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting out the fundamental standards that registered care providers must meet.
- Health Technical Memorandum (HTM)
- Official Department of Health and Social Care guidance on the safe management and decontamination of medical equipment.
- Hygiene Code
- The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections, which sets the standards providers must meet on infection control.
- Infection prevention and control (IPC)
- The measures used to stop infection spreading between patients, staff and visitors.
- Inoculation injury
- An injury, such as a needlestick or cut, that breaks the skin and could pass on a blood-borne infection.
- Lumen
- The hollow channel or bore running through a tube-shaped instrument, which is harder to clean than a flat surface.
- Medical Devices Regulations 2002
- The law governing the safety, manufacture and supply of medical devices in the United Kingdom.
- Near miss
- An event that could have caused harm but did not, by chance or because it was caught in time.
- Performance qualification
- Testing that proves a piece of decontamination equipment performs correctly and consistently in real use.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Items such as gloves, aprons, eye protection and masks worn to protect against harm or infection.
- Porous-load (vacuum) cycle
- A steam-sterilisation cycle that removes air using a vacuum so steam can reach wrapped, pouched or hollow instruments.
- Process indicator
- A mark or strip on packaging that changes colour to show an item has been through a sterilisation process.
- Registered manager
- The person registered with the regulator as responsible for the day-to-day running of a service.
- Regulated activity
- A type of care or treatment the law requires a provider to register with the regulator to deliver.
- Reprocessing
- Cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising a used device so it can be used again; single-use devices must never be reprocessed.
- Revalidation
- Repeating validation tests at set intervals to confirm equipment still performs to the required standard.
- Safety data sheet
- A manufacturer's document describing a chemical's hazards and how to use, store and dispose of it safely.
- Sharps
- Needles, blades and other items that can cut or puncture the skin.
- Single-patient-use device
- A device that may be reused on the same patient but must never be used on another patient.
- Single-use device
- A device intended to be used once on one patient and then discarded; it is never cleaned or reused.
- Standard operating procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step instruction setting out how a particular task is to be carried out consistently and safely.
- Steam-penetration test
- A daily check (such as a Bowie-Dick type test) confirming that steam can reach all surfaces inside a steriliser load.
- Sterilisation
- A validated process that kills all living microorganisms, including spores, making a device free from infection risk.
- Steriliser
- Equipment, usually a steam autoclave, used to sterilise instruments.
- Traceability
- Keeping records that link each decontaminated instrument to the cycle that processed it and to the patient it was used on.
- Ultrasonic cleaner
- A device that uses high-frequency sound waves in a fluid to remove fine soil from instruments, especially from hinges, joints and channels.
- Validation
- Documented testing that proves a decontamination process reliably achieves the required result.
- Washer-disinfector
- An automated machine that cleans and then disinfects instruments through a controlled, validated cycle.