Themes include manufacturer’s instructions, decontamination accidents and incidents, mobile decontamination units and endoscopy and dental decontamination.
The Central Sterilising Club was founded in 1960 by a small group of enthusiastic individuals who were either working in the rapidly evolving central sterile supply depts, or were attempting to solve the many problems associated with developing rapid, safe methods for sterilizing items in bulk. The first SSD was established in 1958 which sparked the interest and necessity to form the Club.
Membership is open to any individual or company actively engaged in sterile product manufacture, control of microbial contamination and associated methods, and research and training activities.
To provide a multidisciplinary forum for the exchange of information on decontamination and infection prevention and control topics.
To actively participate as an organisation in all aspects of decontamination and infection prevention and control.
To encourage acquisition of knowledge and disseminate information on decontamination and infection prevention and control to our members.
The CSC is an organisation with a driving passion for the continuous improvement of standards related to the decontamination of medical devices and infection control. Many notable figures in the sterilization/infection prevention field have been, or are, members of the Club. The Club continues to flourish fifty-eight years on, and its strength is its multi-disciplinary membership, which spans many healthcare disciplines including:
As well as individual personal members, the Club has personal members within commercial companies and the companies themselves as corporate members. This mix makes up a unique blend of skill, experience and acknowledged expertise and is involved in all aspects of sterilisation.
Several successful national groups have emerged from the Club’s membership, including the Institute of Decontamination Sciences, the Infection Prevention Society and the Healthcare Infection Society.
The Club is recognised nationally and internationally by its representation on British, European and International Standard committees. The Club holds two educational events every year, both being accredited through the Royal College and Pathologist’s continuing professional development scheme. The first of these events is a two-day Annual Scientific Meeting which is held in the Spring and comprises a formal programme of lectures, from invited speakers, and a selected number of corporate presentations, which combine to cover a broad range of hot topics.
The conference venue and location change every year, to allow equitable access opportunities for members from all areas of the UK. The second education event of the year is the CSC Autumn Study Day. Traditionally this has been held in Birmingham and it is usually based around a specific theme.
