The UK’s leading decontamination science event just wrapped, so here is a Congress recap, our thoughts, and what’s likely ahead for decon! 

One thing’s for certain when walking around the colourful, merch-filled exhibition stands and bumping into new and familiar faces: passion is everywhere. 

It’s clear from conversations that decon is filled with passionate experts who keep the healthcare engine running behind the scenes, without that same recognition that frontline workers get. As Rob Warburton put it, “Without decontamination, surgery stops.” – Rob Warburton, Trust Decontamination Lead at Manchester University Hospitals and Director of Marketing & Communications for the IDSC from Athera Healthcare’s Behind the Mask Podcast. 

The Great Debate

The Congress programme reflected the breadth of the sector’s challenges: 

• Decontamination innovation: From cleaning and sterilisation workflows to endoscopy reprocessing, the technical bar keeps rising (but thankfully, decon is always there to meet it!) 

• Governance and compliance: As instruments become more complex and regulatory scrutiny intensifies, traceability has become fundamental to safe practice – but how can we make it more stategic, instead of production-focused? 

• Sustainability vs. standards: Teams continue to balance rigorous hygiene requirements with operational and environmental pressures. 

One of the marquee sessions was the “Great Debate” – a panel discussion addressing the question: “What is the risk of off-label use of flexible endoscopes?” The panel included leading industry voices such as Rob Hartley, along with Andrew Bent, Ben Carter, Sarah Marshall and John Prendergast; the session was moderated by Prof Tony Young and Sharon Fox. 

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The debate addressed critical issues around patient safety, regulatory compliance and the importance of robust reprocessing protocols, particularly as endoscope technology evolves and clinical demand increases. 

Central to this challenge is traceability: without clear, end-to-end visibility of how each device is cleaned, handled, stored and reused, innovation in medical devices risks outpacing the systems designed to govern risk.  

The session highlighted how industry professionals must balance innovation with rigorous sterilisation and reprocessing standards, with digital traceability emerging as a key mechanism for ensuring accountability, auditability and patient safety at scale. 

The Behind-the-Scenes Discussions (and Why Data is Such a Hot Topic!) 

The exhibition floor was a real highlight of the IDSc, showcasing the breadth of innovation shaping the future of decontamination and sterile services. It’s a real opportunity to meet with service users and get to know what their challenges are in a unique setting. At the Athera stand, for example, we had sales, marketing, and customer success personnel collecting vital information. Information that will help inform our departments going forward. 

And that’s what it’s all about! The IDSc is a melting pot of opportunity to progress, and it’s great to see so many exhibitors making the most of that. 

The discussions held reinforced a clear message that the sector is actively seeking growth. And growth can’t come blind. The industry needs a single, trusted source of truth across sterile services. That truth? We believe it lies in data. We spoke to so many trust representatives who explained the value that data has in their workflows: from instrument visibility to improve theatre/SSD relations, to viewing operator turnaround time, to closed-loop instrument tracking. There’s an abundance of opportunity here, and we’re excited to take it! 

The conversations at IDSc reinforced what we already know: the future of sterile services runs on data. Teams that embrace this will lead the way. We’re here to make sure they have the tools to do exactly that. 

What We Learned (and What’s Likely Next) 

After years of advocacy, decontamination is finally getting to the point where it is recognised in some circles as the strategic enabler it has the potential to be: 

The IDSc is the only UK professional body affiliated with the Academy for Healthcare Science and registered with the UK Professional Bodies Council. This was a milestone that took years of advocacy and education. 

Rob Warburton reflected, “We are now the only UK professional body for decontamination that’s actually registered onto the Professional Bodies Council. That’s why we’re at the upper level talking to the Department of Health, MHRA, BSG and all the other healthcare organisations about shaping the standards and changing the future.” 

This recognition allows members to become accredited healthcare scientists, ensuring compliance with NHS technical guidance. 

But recognition alone won’t drive the change the sector needs. As decontamination moves from ‘backoffice’ function to strategic priority, the infrastructure has to evolve with it. When decontamination becomes strategic, every process needs to be visible, every instrument traceable, every decision backed by evidence. You can’t shape standards or influence policy without proof that your systems work. 

So what’s next? We hope that as the industry continues to gain the recognition it deserves, data becomes the standard that underpins every decision, every process, every patient interaction. 

Thank you to all those involved in making a great IDSc 2025!