The Central Sterilising Club
About Us
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 early meetings were chaired by the late Professor Darmady, then Senior Pathologist at Portsmouth, and attended by medical and scientific experts who became involved in the future developments. Many notable figures in the sterilization field have been, or are, members of the Club.
The Club still flourishes and its strength is its multi-disciplinary membership which includes: Medical and non-medical microbiologists Infection Prevention nurses, Authorized persons (sterilizers) Sterile Service staff who together with commercial companies involved in all aspects of sterilization, make up a unique blend of skill experience and acknowledged expertise.
Several successful national groups have emerged from the Club’s membership, including the Institute for Decontamination Sciences (IDSc and formally the ISSM), the Infection Prevention Society (IPS, formally ICNA) and the Healthcare Infection Society (formally Hospital Infection Society). Similar groups based on the CSC have been formed in other countries.
The Club’s annual meeting is the only forum where members of all groups can meet, exchange ideas and solve mutual problems. The design of the meeting allows ample time for discussions in both formal sessions and in the less formal atmosphere for which the Club is noted.
The History of CSC
1960
The Central Sterilising Club is founded
1967
Publication of guidance on Sterilisation and Disinfection of Heat Labile Equipment, Working Party Report No. 2, Central Sterilising Club
1986
Publication of guidance on Hygiene for Hydro therapy pools – Working Party Report No. 3. 1986;
2000
CSC members contribute to the national audit of decontamination standards in English hospitals.
2014
First CSC female Chair – Tina Bradley
2016
Publication of guidance on air quality in endoscope decontamination facilities – Working party report.
Jimmy Walker – CSC Chair
Jimmy worked for Public Health England as a scientific leader in water microbiology and decontamination and managed a range of research projects on pathogens such as Legionella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacteria spp. He collaborated closely with the Department of Health (DH England) and the Health and Safety Executive in writing and developing national and international guidance on the microbiology of water and decontamination in healthcare. He has an extensive publication record including his recently edited book “Decontamination in Hospitals and Healthcare”. He has been involved in writing water guidance during COVID-19 and is contributing to a range of BSI committees. Jimmy is very proud to be the current Chair of CSC and was previously the CSC Secretary (2011-2017).
Karren Staniforth – Honorary Secretary
Karren Staniforth is a Clinical Scientist, working in Microbiology and Infection Prevention.
Karren initially trained as a Biomedical Scientist in a series of diagnostic laboratories before developing her current role, as Scientific Lead for Infection Prevention and Control, at Nottingham University Hospitals, NHS Trust.
Over the last fifteen years, Karren has developed specialist knowledge regarding the environmental and engineering aspects of infection prevention and control, within an acute healthcare facility.
Karren has served on the Central Sterilising Club Committee since 2015 and accepted the role of Honorary Secretary in April 2017.
Karren represents HIS at BSI, for CH/216: Chemical Disinfectants and Antiseptics and is also developing her role as Co-convenor for a range of HIS training courses which include a foundation course in hospital hygiene and specialist infection prevention and training relating to decontamination and specialist ventilation in healthcare premises.
Karen Tweed – Membership Secretary (Management of Decontamination Services)
Karen started her career at the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary when she worked in pharmaceutical manufacturing. After 20 years she moved into sterile services and relocated to the Leeds Trust. Karen obtained her MSc Decontamination with the University of Highland and Islands in 2009. Karen moved jobs in January 2014 and now works for the Sheffield Trust as Deputy Operations Director, Decontamination. Karen is the Membership Secretary for the Central Sterilising Club.
Gill Hill – Editor (Infection Control Nurse)
Following a career as a critical care nurse, Gill entered the speciality of infection prevention and control in 2001. Gill was very fortunate at an early stage to meet Tina Bradley and receive training from Tina and the Team at the Hospital Infection Research Laboratory at City Hospital Birmingham, the perfect foundation for a career in infection control. Gill spent 14 years in the speciality as Lead Infection Prevention Nurse and Decontamination Lead for the Acute, Primary Care and Dental services of Herefordshire and is now the Clinical Director for a specialist decontamination company.
The CSC has been a critical part of Gill’s career, providing access to expertise, educational opportunities and essential clinical networking.
John Prendergast – Honorary Treasurer
John Prendergast is the Senior Decontamination Engineer working within the specialist team at NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership/Specialist Estates Services. John works within the team that provides validation services, advice, guidance and AE(D) provision to Health Boards/Trusts within Wales and works closely with Welsh government departments to deliver policy and strategy in this unique and often complex field.
John has worked within the NHS in Wales for the past 34 years and was initially employed by Gwent Health Authority (currently Aneurin Bevan University Health Board) as an engineer working within the Operational Estates department.
In 2012 he completed the ACIST course (qualifying course for Authorising Engineer, (Decontamination)) and was formally accepted on the IHEEM register as an Authorising Engineer (Decontamination) in 2013. John has been both a member/officer of the Central Sterilising Club committee and currently fills the Honorary Treasurer’s role.
Ean Whalley – Website Co-ordinator
Having left University with a Microbiology degree in 1998 Ean went into the pharmaceutical industry working for AstraZeneca in Macclesfield. After 6 years he moved into the healthcare market with Andersen Caledonia and began his career managing a microbiological testing service for the NHS and private medical companies across the UK.
In 2008 an opportunity arose which allowed him to start his own company which is called Serve Medical which has now been running for 13 years. Ean joined the CSC committee 3 years ago and now helps manage the website and he is also training to become an Authorising Engineer (Decontamination).
Gill Ellis-Pow – Committee Member
Gill has been involved in decontamination for over 20 years, starting with the Scottish National Audit headed by David Hurrell and Rosemary Simpson and has been the NHS Lothian Decontamination Lead since 2002. Previously Gill worked in the Theatre Suite at St John’s Hospital, Livingstone from 1989-2002 as a Charge Nurse and latterly as the Theatre Manager/Co-ordinator. Gill was the Chair of the Scottish National Endoscopy
Decontamination Working Group and is a member of the Scottish National CJD Working Group and RMD Decontamination Expert Group. Gill has been a member of the CSC since 2003 and has been a committee member twice; most recently for the past 2 years. She is also a member of the Institute of Decontamination Sciences, was Director of Communications/Editor of the Medical Device Decontamination Journal. Gill completed her BSc, with Distinction, in 2007 and then her Post-Graduate Diploma in Medical Device Decontamination 2011. She lives in Port Seton, has four boys, plays golf at Gullane Golf Club and is the Honorary Secretary of Gullane Ladies’ Golf Club.
Andrew Birch – Committee Member (Authorising Engineer (Decontamination))
After serving an engineering apprenticeship in the pharmaceutical industry, latterly with a special interest in steam sterilization validation, Andrew moved to healthcare in the late 1990s. After a time working as a Test Person on autoclaves and washer disinfectors Andrew completed the Advanced Course in Sterilization Technology in 2010 and has been a registered Authorising Engineer (Decontamination) since 2012. Andrew now works for NHS Trusts, pharmaceutical companies, and training providers.
David Jenkins – Committee Member (Medical Microbiologist)
Dr David Jenkins has been a consultant medical microbiologist and lead infection prevention doctor at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust since 1997. He is also the lead doctor for antimicrobials in the Trust. He provides clinical microbiology support for Glenfield Hospital, helping with the management of infection in cardiology, cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery patients including patients on intensive care in the extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation unit. In addition, David is an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Leicester where he is involved in teaching medical and other health science students. David has held a number of national roles over recent years, including being an elected member of the Council of the Royal College of Pathologists, where he is also the immediate past-chair of the Medical Microbiology and Virology Specialty Advisory Committee. He has also served on the councils of the Healthcare Infection Society and the Central Sterilising Club. He is the current President-Elect of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. He takes over full presidential duties in March 2021.
David has contributed to a number of national guidelines and co-authored research papers on infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship. He has also been in an invited speaker at conferences in Europe, Asia, North and South America.
Mike Bowden – Committee Member
Mike has been involved in decontamination for over 20 years, working within infection prevention, sterilisation, endoscopy, dentistry and more recently, environment decontamination. During this time, Mike has established a wide network of health sector and industry contacts.
Mike is an active member of the Central Sterilising Club, attending his first club meeting in Northern Ireland back in 1999 and has been a committee member since 2018. In addition to the CSC, Mike is a regular at all other relevant seminars, conferences and exhibitions for decontamination and infection prevention.
Graham Stanton – Committee Member
Graham retired from the Health Service in Wales after forty-two years’ service.
His engineering career started by attending the School of Navigation in Warsash, and he served as an Engineer Officer Cadet which was an excellent start to his education and experiences that helped him through his whole career.
He joined the NHS in 1974 and worked in the sterilizing and decontamination field for the last thirty-three years from December 1981 until his retirement.
During that time, he represented the Welsh Health Service in the formation of national guidance, both for Wales and the English DH.
Graham also worked with the Welsh Government and was instrumental in setting up and chairing active decontamination groups in both Sterile Services and Endoscopy.
He has been an Authorised Person (Sterilizers) since 1995 changing, in July 2008, to Authorising Engineer (Decontamination).
Graham is still invited to the All Wales Decontamination committee as an IHEEM advisor and currently chairs the IHEEM AE(D) Registration Board after retirement from the chair of the IHEEM Decontamination Technology Platform [DTP]. He also represents IHEEM on the Professional Bodies Group [DPECF] bodies and Wales branch of IHEEM and has been co-opted to the CSC committee.
Tracy Walley – Committee Member
Upon hearing that the CSC committee was looking to recruit to fill vacancies, Tracy volunteered to assist with a role within the committee. Tracy had a sales career for some 20 years which started as a sales executive in the Health and Fitness Industry. She then went to work in the family business for 6 years selling jewellery then into retail covering the South of the UK. Tracy worked for Lyreco UK (when 2010) and was one the top salespeople out of a total sales force of 1200.
Tracy first stepped into the decontamination sector in 2015 and has never looked back on this move. Tracy is currently working for Sychem as the Healthcare Sales Executive for the Midlands, North and Scotland.
Tracy has a keen interest in walking and conquered the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in 2019.
Jennifer Stephenson – Committee Member
Jennifer has been involved in infection control and decontamination for over 25 years. Jennifer started her nursing career in 1986 at Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust working in both medical and surgical directorates finally working in Cardiothoracic surgery which led to involvement in infection control and endoscope decontamination. She has dedicated a substantial amount of her nursing career to the NHS and this has given her the advantage of the understanding of NHS policies and procedures, Jennifer continues to follow developments in the NHS to enhance her personal professional development. Jennifer left the NHS in 2004 to take up the role of a clinical nurse educator/advisor within the MedTech Industry where the focus was on the education and development of endoscope and instrument decontamination.
Jennifer’s current role is with Getinge UK where she is a Technical Specialist Decontamination Manager, a role which gives her the opportunity to advise, educate on products and mentor new staff by utilising her clinical and product knowledge. Professionally she has maintained her nurse registration and continued with her education gaining City & Guilds teaching qualifications and a certificate in higher education (CertEd). Jennifer has been key in the development of various product support guidelines whilst working within her current employment and other MedTech companies.
Jennifer lives in Newcastle upon Tyne but is originally is from Rossendale in Lancashire. Her hobbies include music festivals, sewing, reading and spending time in her campervan.
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Become a CSC Member
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.