Healthcare – It’s a Risky Business

Hippocrates, often called the “Father of Medicine,” revolutionised clinical practice by moving away from attributing illness to divine acts. Contrary to popular belief, he likely did not write the oath bearing his name, which includes pledges like avoiding harm and refraining from surgery. In reality, medicine inherently involves risk, and practitioners constantly weigh harm against benefit—a principle that underpins our 2026 Annual Scientific Conference theme: Healthcare: It’s a Risky Business.

Our keynote speaker, Andrew Smith, is Professor of Clinical Bacteriology & Hon Consultant Microbiologist, University of Glasgow and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and currently is the lead Microbiologist for Medical Device Decontamination in NHS GGC. He has been a long standing member and contributor to the decontamination sector. Few understand healthcare risks better than he does.

Surgical risk remains key to the Central Sterilising Club. Scotland mandates single-use orthopaedic implants, yet other UK regions still reprocess items, risking failure. How do we balance single-use versus reusable instruments? Speakers will explore this and address challenges with cleaning complex reusable tools.

Sustainability pressures complicate these choices. Tracey Gauci will highlight risks of misguided sustainability decisions, equipping decontamination leads with evidence to counter ill-informed demands.

Endoscope decontamination also remains critical. With over 1,700 types on the market, can we ensure effective cleaning and standard compliance? How do we communicate these risks to policymakers and the public?

We’ll also spotlight innovation where selected corporate members will share new developments, innovations and case studies relevant to the broad theme of decontamination in healthcare.

Finally, our Great Debate: “This house believes the UK should abandon HTM’s in favour of international standards.” 

Meet the Speakers for the event by clicking through this link.