15 May 2019 1:00am
A day to celebrate the ODP profession and for colleagues and the public to find out more about the ODP role.
Operating Department Practitioners have been working within the NHS for over 70 years under varying titles.
ODPs have been regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council since 2004, and from April 2017 ODPs were given professional recognition by being welcomed into the Allied Health Professionals family.
As the only professional body for ODPs, the College designated 14th May as ODP Day. The first one, held last year was a huge success with lots of engagement on social media. One of the main aims of the day was to raise the profile of ODPs and this was certainly achieved as #ODPday became a top trending tweet on the day. The College has decided to make this an annual event; this year ODP day will be held on Tuesday May 14th 2019. The College of Operating Department Practitioners and UNISON are encouraging ODPs to speak to other healthcare colleagues and more importantly the public about their profession, to show how important ODPs are in participating and delivering excellent patient care.
ODPs who join UNISON will automatically have access to the College and the chance to get active.
Suggested activities on the day might include a cake sale, an information stall / display in the foyer of your hospital / university (or even local shopping centre), careers talks at your local schools and tweeting photos of your activities during the day using the official hashtag: #ODPday. And to show your support on Facebook, why not add our new ODP Day frame to your profile picture?
Make sure your local press teams are informed; your hospitals communications teams will be able to help.
A downloadable poster and photo frame will soon be available on the CODP website for you to promote the event. These are the official resources for the event that are only available through the College. You can also order a range of promotional materials (for more information on what is available email codp@unison.co.uk ).
But the success of the day will be about what you do locally to promote the profession on that day, so start planning your event now and let us know what you have planned by emailing codp@unison.co.uk
