Occupations and Terms of Reference › Sterile supplies technician
Universal terms of reference · POS-176 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Sterile supplies technician
To prepare, check and issue sterile supplies, so that instruments and dressings are safe to use and traceable.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You prepare sterile supplies. You clean, pack, load and check sterilising equipment, record each cycle, issue sterile items, and report any fault straight away.
Reports to: Sterile services manager.
Leads or supervises: No direct reports.
What you do on a typical day
- Decontaminate and pack instruments.
- Operate and check sterilising equipment.
- Record every sterilisation cycle.
- Issue sterile items to clinical areas.
- Report equipment faults and failed cycles.
Working conditions and demands
- Work to strict process and documentation rules.
- Physical and repetitive work.
- Errors can cause infection.
What good looks like
- Every sterile item is traceable.
- Cycles pass checks before release.
- No failed items are used.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Services are provided safely, on time and with no shortcuts that put patients or staff at risk.
- Supplies, equipment and systems are fit for purpose before use and are checked regularly.
- Money, stock and data are handled with integrity and recorded fully.
- Every incident or near miss is reported, and learning is shared.
- Staff are trained for their task before they work alone.
- Contractors and suppliers meet the same standards as staff.
- Concerns are raised and investigated without reprisal.
- Support functions are judged by how well they help clinical services deliver safe care.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-176 |
| ISCO-08 | 3213 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Supply and logistics |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-177. Supervises: .
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Sterile services manager | Sterilisation process and release. |
| Theatre nurse | Instrument use and return. |
| Infection prevention and control (IPC) lead | Sterile process standards. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decontamination | Cleans and packs instruments to standard. | Audit at standard 100% | Weekly | C-01 | T-05 | POL-SAFEG | 2 |
| Sterilisation records | Records every cycle and checks it before release. | Every cycle record complete | Daily | C-02 | T-05 | POL-INC | 2 |
| Traceability | Keeps items traceable from sterilisation to use. | Traceability audit passed | Monthly | C-03 | T-05 | POL-DATA | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Release of a cycle that passes checks | Failed cycles or faulty equipment (sterile services manager) |
| Order of work within the sterile process | Unexplained cycle failures (sterile services manager) |
| Order of cycles within the day's load |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Sterile services technician certificate or equivalent training | Yes | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Sterile services or decontamination experience | 1 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | C-01 · C-02 · C-03 |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | – |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | – |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-01 | Immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases relevant to the setting, documented at entry | At entry or as set | essential | Documented hepatitis B status at entry |
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Cleaning and packing instruments | Cleans instruments | Packs and checks sets | Designs decontamination steps | Decontamination audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
| C-02 | Sterilisation cycles and records | Runs cycles | Checks cycle records | Designs cycle checks | Cycle audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
| C-03 | Traceability and issue | Records issues | Keeps traceability complete | Designs traceability systems | Traceability audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Cycles recorded and checked | 100% | cycle register | Daily |
| PI-02 | Decontamination audit at standard | 100% | audit results | Weekly |
| PI-03 | Traceability complete | 100% | traceability audit | Monthly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Sterile supplies technician | 1 years (recommended) | Q-01 | C-01 practitioner, C-02 practitioner | T-05 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |