Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre (SMTC) proudly announced the achievement of degrees in decontamination for two of its high flying staff this week.
Jim Rawles and Stacey Timbrell, both of whom work in the Decontamination Department, achieved merit and distinction respectively in the new decontamination degree at Eastwood Park, Gloucestershire in partnership with Kingston University.
The high flying pair are the first to be awarded the two year foundation degree in the country, and as part of their courses have undertaken training modules including managing medical equipment, quality assurance, infection control and the decontamination process.
Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre, which provides planned NHS procedures to NHS patients, is one of four treatment centres run by UK Specialist Hospitals (UKSH) in the South West. The treatment centre has provided the new decontamination graduates with excellent standards to aspire to, having achieved very high standards of cleanliness leading to very low rates of infection and zero percent hospital acquired MRSA since its opening in July 2005.
After the degree ceremony last week, treatment centre manager Chester Barnes praised the achievements of his staff: “We are all very proud of Jim and Stacey for having achieved these degrees with such excellent results”, he said. “We continue to invest significant time and energy at the treatment centre in ensuring rigorous standards of cleanliness and infection control to ensure the health and safety of our patients and staff."