Introduction: The Recognition Gap

Across healthcare, there’s a persistent gap between the criticality of a role and the recognition it receives. Decontamination services are a perfect example.

These teams ensure every surgical instrument is safe, sterile, and ready for use. If they stopped working, surgery would stop. Yet for decades, the profession has been seen as “support services”, important, yes, but not quite on par with clinical roles.

That’s changing. And the journey offers lessons for any healthcare profession seeking greater recognition, influence, and career development opportunities.

The Three Pillars of Professional Recognition

In our recent Behind The Mask episode with Rob Warburton and Sharon Fox – both senior leaders in decontamination services and directors at the IDSC – three pillars emerged as essential to achieving professional recognition:

1. Formal Education and Credentialing
2. Professional Body Affiliation and Governance
3. Community and Continuous Professional Development

Let’s explore each…

1: Formal Education and Credentialing

Rob and Sharon both started their careers with no formal qualifications. Today, they hold Masters degrees and are registered healthcare scientists.

In 2024, NHS England issued a technical bulletin giving decontamination services five years to comply with job competencies. That means education within decontamination is now a requirement.

The IDSC offers technical certificates for sterile services and endoscopy, with plans to expand education offerings further. But beyond the credentials themselves, education serves a deeper purpose: it legitimises the profession in the eyes of others.

As Sharon points out, when clinicians understand the depth of knowledge required – chemistry, microbiology, steam science, water quality, infection control, anatomy, they start to see decontamination professionals differently.

“The consultants think they’re very educated and in the know,” Sharon says, “but the simple yet important process of decontamination, if it isn’t followed, it can critically impact the patient. That’s what the IDSC is about: bringing that knowledge together.”

Lesson: Education isn’t just for the individual’s benefit. It signals to the wider healthcare system that your profession requires expertise, not just task completion.

2: Professional Body Affiliation and Governance

The IDSC is the only UK professional body for decontamination that’s registered with the UK Professional Bodies Council.

There are clubs, associations, and organisations in the space. But only the IDSC has achieved formal recognition as a professional body, affiliated with the Academy for Healthcare Science.

Why does this matter?

Because it gives the profession a seat at the table when standards are being developed, policies are being written, and regulations are being shaped.

“We’re at the upper level talking to the Department of Health, NHSE, MHRA, and all the other healthcare organisations about shaping standards and changing the future,” Rob explains.

That level of influence requires:

• Governance structures that meet professional standards
• Membership criteria that ensure competency
• Advocacy efforts that demonstrate the profession’s value
• Collaboration with regulatory bodies to influence policy

The work to achieve this recognition began over a decade ago under former IDSC chairman Jeff Schroeder. It was completed under the tenure of outgoing chairman Trevor Garcia, and now incoming chairman Dean Burand can take the organisation to the next level.

Lesson: When properly structured and recognised, professional bodies become vehicles for systemic change and professional influence.

3: Community and Continuous Professional Development

Both Rob and Sharon speak with genuine warmth about the decontamination community. It’s about mentorship, shared learning, and peer support.

Sharon recalls her early days: “I used to pick up the phone and call Norman or Jillian – late Jillian, who was the queen of the IDSC, and I’d say, ‘I’m really stuck on this. I don’t understand that.’ And they just loved sharing the knowledge.”

That culture persists today through:

• Branch meetings that facilitate benchmarking and discussion
• The annual Congress with CPD-accredited sessions for all levels
• Informal networks that connect professionals across regions and specialties

As Rob describes it: “You’ve got multi-generational experience and knowledge. People like me and Sharon, we’re passing that on to the guys who are just getting into the field.”

For junior managers or those without strong mentorship in their own trusts, this community becomes essential. “If you find any challenge within your departments, pose it to this group,” Rob tells branch members. “Nine times out of ten, someone has experienced it before and resolved it.”

Lesson: Professional recognition is about who you can learn from and how you support others coming up behind you.

The Global Context: Why the UK Leads

One of the most striking moments in the episode comes when Sharon describes her experience at the World Forum for Decontamination in Chile.

“There were 600-700 people, all nurses, and they all want to be like the UK,” she recalls. “They think the UK is at the top with regards to standards, training, development. In America, they’re still handwashing surgical instrumentation.”

Despite the US being a global leader in surgical technology, their decontamination practices lag 10 years behind the UK.

Why?

Rob offers an explanation: “The NHS is more robustly adhering to guidance and standards. Because we’re funded with public money, we have to be responsible. Private industry doesn’t conform to the same rigorous quality.”

This is a powerful point. The UK’s leadership in this space is the result of:

• Regulatory frameworks that require compliance
• Professional bodies that raise standards
• Education pathways that build competency
• Community networks that share best practices

Lesson: Professional recognition on a global scale requires systemic support—regulation, education, and community working together.

What Other Professions Can Learn

The decontamination profession’s journey offers a roadmap for other healthcare roles seeking greater recognition:

1. Invest in education.
   Formal qualifications signal expertise. They also open doors to roles that require specific credentials.
2. Build or join a professional body with backing.
   Membership organisations are valuable. But to influence policy and standards, you need formal recognition and governance.
3. Foster community and mentorship.
   Isolation kills professional growth. Create spaces: Branch meetings, conferences, online forums – where people can learn from each other.
4. Advocate for your profession publicly.
   Rob and Sharon don’t shy away from explaining why their work matters. They speak at conferences, write articles, and engage with media. Visibility builds recognition.
5. Connect your work to patient outcomes.
   Sharon’s proudest moment came when the Chief Nurse publicly thanked her team “for making devices safe for our patients.” That direct link to patient safety is powerful – and worth emphasising.

The Role of Industry and Healthcare Organisations

Professional recognition isn’t just the responsibility of individuals or professional bodies. Healthcare organisations and industry partners have roles to play:

For Healthcare Organisations:

• Recognise decontamination professionals as healthcare scientists, not just “support services”
• Provide time and funding for CPD and professional development
• Include decontamination leads in strategic decision-making

For Industry:

• Support professional development through Congress sponsorship and education funding
• Engage with branch meetings to share technical expertise
• Recognise that investing in the profession benefits patient safety and your business

As Sharon passionately argues in the episode, industry support for events like the IDSC Congress isn’t just a marketing expense, it’s an investment in supporting career pathways and raising professional standards.

Conclusion: Recognition as a Catalyst for Excellence

The story of decontamination services’ journey toward professional recognition is ultimately about this: When a profession is recognised, valued, and supported, everyone benefits.

Individuals gain career progression opportunities. Organisations benefit from higher standards and better patient outcomes. The healthcare system as a whole becomes safer and more effective.

Rob and Sharon’s conversation is a reminder that professional recognition is a continuous process of education, advocacy, community-building, and commitment to excellence.

And it’s a process worth pursuing, no matter what role you play in surgical care.

Watch the Full Episode

Hear Rob and Sharon’s full conversation about career progression, community, and why the UK leads the world in decontamination standards.