Hospital sterilisation goes private

The UNISON public services union says that the drive to outsource hospital sterilisation services must come to an end and be brought back under hospital control. The union says the practice is compromising patient safety and leading to operation cancellations.

In the past hospitals sterilised equipment on site, but the government increasingly wants NHS trusts to use private sector companies who take the equipment to cleaning centres.

The union’s position is backed up by a survey carried out by the Royal College of Surgeons. It reported that two-thirds of the surgeons who responded were “unhappy about the availability and condition of instruments sent for sterilisation away from the hospital”.

UNISON pointed out that despite these problems, “the government is encouraging hospitals to outsource sterilisation services with promises of up to £1 million to buy new equipment if they sign up to use private centres.”