The role of a Designated Individual in surgical training

Our primary users are surgeons or health care professionals in training, aiming to improve current procedures and techniques to help their patients live healthier, happier lives with better clinical outcomes.

At Arthrex, the DI is responsible for making sure all material is received, stored, used and disposed of following HTA regulations and that suppliers of this material are reputable and comply with comparable laws and regulations in their country.

Whilst every effort is made to source donor material from UK suppliers in the first instance, this is not always possible and donors from across Europe and the US are often imported to fulfil training needs.  It is my responsibility to ensure these suppliers are reputable and have robust policy and procedures in place to ensure staff are adequately trained to take appropriate and informed consent.

In addition to ensuring donor material is sourced in the correct manner, it is equally important to ensure all staff working with human tissue are appropriately trained and appreciate the value of working with donors. After spending most of my professional working life in pathology, caring for donors and their families has always been a privilege. The respect given to these selfless individuals who bequeath their bodies to help others is something my team fully understand and never take for granted.

As a cheerful and upbeat teenager, I decided to take my diploma as a Funeral Director at 18 where I arranged and conducted funerals at a family-run funeral home for several years. Along with making coffins, embalming, dressing, washing limousines, arranging flowers and all of the other roles you inevitably end up doing in a small business. This was such a rewarding job, the kindness and appreciation from families at quite possibly the lowest point in their lives is something I will always remember.

I then embarked on a 22 year career in pathology, working in various mortuaries, forensic environments and training roles, several of these as Person Designate for the HTA and sitting the relevant industry standard certificates and diplomas as an APT. In 2009 I managed one of a handful of UK surgical training centres within the NHS, when this practice was still relatively new, which went on to become one of the busiest in the UK.

Joining a private medical device company was a daunting step. There was little understanding of cadaveric labs in the industry and fortunately I had some knowledgeable colleagues who got to work diligently writing policies, procedures, risk assessments, SOPs and audit schedules with me.  Leading to our premises being granted a HTA licence, ready for our opening in the summer of 2021, so we could get to work training surgeons and health care professionals.

One of the most important things I wanted to achieve as a new DI was to ensure I was present wherever licensed activity was taking place and to ensure that staff working under the licence had the appropriate skills and attitude to deliver high-quality training.

My biggest challenge was managing my time as a new DI. We all get so busy doing our day-to-day roles as managers, researchers and educators, it can be hard making time to regularly review, change and update SOPs, policies and procedures. However, it is important to ensure they remain relevant and reflect the work being done.

Being DI in a surgical training environment is quite unique, with a diverse range of skill sets required to deliver consistently successful workshops that require a motivated, dedicated team behind each event, with clear roles and responsibilities and pride in their work. Constantly improving communication and understanding through regular meetings, training sessions and keeping in touch with colleagues in similar roles to share good practice is key to this ongoing success.

Brian Burnett

Lab Services Manager