Trevor Garcia, IDSc’s National Chairman, spoke to CSJ at the IDSc 2023 conference exhibition about the way forward for the decontamination sector. He highlighted the importance of ensuring the profession has a clear career pathway, and the need for action to ensure the future of the sector is secured, by attracting the next generation of decontamination scientists into the profession.
High on the agenda was:
- The need for a National reporting system for safety incidents, arising from decontamination, so that issues can be identified and acted upon.
- The need to raise awareness of what decontamination units do and the critical role the profession has in ensuring patient safety.
- The need for increased the visibility of decontamination as a profession and the career options available.
- The need for standardised terms to identify decontamination departments within hospitals and job titles.
- Discussion around the potential for registration of decontamination professionals.