Effective Emergency planning in the Hospital Sterilisation and Disinfection Unit (HSDU)

When the new HSDU suffered plant failure, it resulted in its complete shutdown for four and a half days in December 2010. The St. Mary's Hospital facility could not process contaminated re-usable medical instruments used by Theatres, Day Surgery, wards and departments. Such failures can have a serious impact, possibly resulting in cancelled procedures which, in turn, affect direct patient care. HSDU's contingency plan was put into operation and mainland sterile service facilities were immediately sourced to enable the processing of instruments to proceed. The HSDU staff volunteered to work additional hours, providing an 'around the clock' cover to ensure service continuity. Due to their dedication there were no cancelled operations. This entry was a finalist in the 2011 NHS Isle of Wight Awards. For more information visit www.iow.nhs.uk/awards.