- Conference
- 2018 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 8 December 2017
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that Operating Department Practitioners have been working within the NHS for over 50 years under varying titles. ODPs have only been regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council since 2004.
Conference further notes that there are over 13,000 registered ODPs and they are a valued member of the multi-disciplinary team, they are covered by published standards of proficiency and the title “Operating Department Practitioner” is a protected title in the UK. However, it took until the 7th April 2017 for ODPs to get the professional recognition deserved. ODPs are now classified as Allied Health Professionals and can stand proud amongst other AHP’s.
Conference believes that UNISON is the trade union for ODP’s and that we should be organising to raise the profile of the profession and recruiting ODP’s into the trade union and into activism. As such, ODPs should have a national day of recognition to celebrate the profession and those who work within it.
Within the Northern Region we held ‘celebration’ events in Trusts across the region in partnership with the employers and as a result have recruited ODPs as well as raised the profile of UNISON as the union of choice for ODPs.
Conference calls on the Health Service Group Executive to:
1)work with the Occupational Sector Group and the College of Operating Department Practitioners to establish an annual National Recognition Day for Operating Department Practitioners;
2)provide the appropriate resources for regions and branches to put on regional events to support the National Recognition Day.