National Operating Department Practitioners’ Day in the UK Date in the current year: May 14, 2025

Operating department practitioners (ODPs) are one of the fourteen allied healthcare professions in the UK, as defined by NHS England, alongside art therapists, dieticians, drama therapists, music therapists, occupational therapists, orthoptists, osteopaths, paramedics, physiotherapists, podiatrists, prosthetists and orthotists, radiographers, and speech and language therapists. They are involved in perioperative care, i.e. the care before, during, and after a surgical procedure. ODPs work in three main areas of perioperative care: anesthesia, surgery, and recovery (post-anesthesia care).

Anesthesia ODPs assist anesthesiologists in providing and maintaining safe anesthesia during surgery. They check equipment and ensure that all necessary medications are available before administering anesthesia. They may also be tasked with performing preoperative assessments of patients and administering medications in emergency situations (at the verbal request of the anesthesiologist).

Perioperative ODPs work directly with the surgical team during surgery. They prepare sterile instruments, needles, swabs, and other supplies, assist with pre-closure checks, and may assist the surgical team throughout the procedure as needed. Perioperative practitioners may also serve as a liaison between the surgical team and the rest of the hospital.

Postoperative ODPs care for patients as they recover from anesthesia. They monitor the patient’s condition, provide airway management as needed, and may administer treatments until the patient can be safely discharged to the ward.

ODPs typically work in hospital operating rooms, but may also work in other acute clinical settings such as pre-hospital emergency care, emergency departments, intensive care units, cardiac catheterization suites, endoscopy suites, obstetrics, interventional radiology, reproductive medicine, and other settings.

To become an operating department practitioner practitioner in the UK, you must complete a training program in operating department practice approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). This is usually a two-year Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) or a three-year Bachelor of Science with honors Bsc (Hons). Courses combine academic study with clinical placements in surgical, anesthetic and recovery areas. Upon completion of the course, you must register with the HCPC to legally work as an ODP.

May 14 was declared National ODP Day by the College of Operating Department Practitioners (CODP) and UNISON, one of the UK’s two largest trade unions. The main aim is to recognize and highlight the role of operating department practitioners in the national healthcare system. Events and activities on the day include information displays in hospitals and other places where ODPs are employed, career talks in schools, fundraising events and social media campaigns using the hashtag #ODPDay.