Operating department practice (ODP) is relatively unknown compared to nursing and the other allied health professions such as physio & occupational therapy, podiatry etc. What must be understood, however, is that ODP is very much a qualified ( 3 years, just like the rest) and specialised field were training is based on the perioperative environment and patient care. Emphasis on patient care.

At the moment, non-medical prescription can be done by advanced nurses and other advanced health professionals (i.e as nurse practitioners, Advanced clinical practitioners etc). Qualified ODPs are exempt by law to pescribe even at the advanced level unlike their counterparts, though they’re just as competent and INVOLVED in PATIENT CARE in their area of practice like the others ( this being the reason why they can’t prescribe - because they don’t work on wards and such so they’re not as involved in holistic patient care??)

With the situation being as it is, ODPs are impeded in their career development as there aren’t many NHS trusts that will support ODPs to advance their practice without the factor of being able to prescribe. The very few ODPs who are able to cross this hurdle to become advanced practitioners still have to rely on other advanced practitioners of a background other than ODP to prescribe (even though they’ve all received the same advanced training) This is unfair both to the profession of ODP and to patients, who can benefit immensely from the competences of advanced ODP prescriptions if this law were to change.