After starting out on an oncology ward, Lian-Amy Pywell quickly developed a passion for the role of medical interventions in transforming lives. 11 years ago, she joined the Sterile Services Department in Hull, and today she is Deputy Manager at the Humber Health Partnership Central Decontamination Unit (CDU). 

The CDU serves two major hospitals, including a trauma centre and a women’s and children’s hospital, as well as eye clinics and endoscopy units.  

Supporting all surgical specialties, the CDU processes between 500 and 600 surgical trays every day. With a team of around 90 technicians and 10 supervisors, its mission is clear: ensure surgical teams receive safe, complete sets of instruments on time, every time. 

Success at a Glance 

The challenge 

As the CDU grew, so did the complexity of managing its people, processes, and output. Handling 600 trays daily while leading a team of nearly 100 required not just operational efficiency, but also visibility into where support was needed most. 

The solution: flexible traceability for every stage of growth 

FingerPrint had long provided the foundation for reliable digital traceability. But as the team grew and needs became more varied, FingerPrint flexed to grow with them, offering modules such as FingerPrint Admin to help managers oversee workflows, track workloads, and maintain consistent performance across a large, high-pressure department. 

The Athera FingerPrint Impact: 

Efficiency at scale  

Sterile services are not just a ‘back-office process’; they’re the engine room of a hospital. And if something goes wrong, its effects are felt everywhere. That’s why for Humber Health Partnership, who work at such scale, efficiency is necessary.  

With 600 trays to process each day and 90 staff to coordinate, even the smallest delays can ripple across theatres, causing delays, cancellations, and impacts to patient care.   

“FingerPrint makes this complex operation seamless. Every set is scanned at each stage of reprocessing, creating a clear, timestamped record of who handled it, when, and for how long.” explains Lian. 

This precision not only safeguards traceability but also shines a light on the effectiveness across our unit.

For the production team, it means speed: “There’s a speed element to it. Our managers can see at a glance where problems are forming and where staff may need extra support.”  

For Lian’s team, efficiency isn’t just being able to work faster, it’s about the proactive decision-making using the right insights to guide the way forward. 

“FingerPrint gives you more information, it’s really impressive.” 

Evidence at your Fingertips  

For Lian-Amy, the ability to evidence decisions has been a huge help:  

If theatres call asking why a certain instrument is in a set, I can go back years – before we even had Athera FingerPrint’s admin module – and show them the history. That kind of visibility and assurance is something we simply couldn’t provide before. 

With FingerPrint, staff scan trays at every stage of reprocessing, creating a clear and accurate history of every instrument set. Complaint handling becomes faster and evidence-led, with version histories reducing disputes and saving time.  

The support is twofold:  

• With production analysis highlighting bottlenecks and issues that arise for immediate rectifying 

• Whilst management visibility gives the actionable insights needed for forward-looking decisions, reporting, and non-compliance handling. 

Supporting Staff with Data

One of the most powerful outcomes has been the way data is used to support better management practices. 

Using FingerPrint, managers receive daily reports showing which staff are packing which trays and how long it takes. Far from creating pressure, this evidence enables the senior team to spot when someone may be struggling and offer timely support: 

 The data means we can go to a colleague and say: we’ve noticed you’re taking longer on certain trays, let’s see what extra support or training you might need. It’s not about blame, it’s about making sure our staff feel supported and confident.

Pride in Progress 

 After five years in management, Lian-Amy is most proud of the way FingerPrint empowers her with evidence-backed answers- whether to theatres, senior leadership, or her own team.  

The information is what excites me. It’s so powerful to have the history, the reports, and the insights at your fingertips. It means we have that evidence there if we need it, we can help our staff who need that extra support better, and run our service more effectively. 

 Closing remarks: 

FingerPrint has progressed the CDU operations by growing with their team, which has in turn enabled faster responses to theatres, more evidence to support decision-making, and the data needed to move forward. 

But the real difference comes from the forward-thinking, dedicated team at Humber Health Partnership. Their commitment to progress means that raw data is transformed into supporting staff, protecting the team with evidence, and anticipating the challenges that come with operating such a big and impactful unit.