Operating department practitioner (ODP)

An operating department practitioner (ODP) is a registered healthcare professional who looks after patients through anaesthesia, surgery and recovery. Most ODPs qualify through a degree or a degree apprenticeship, register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and start in the NHS on band 5, which pays £32,073 to £39,043 in England from 1 April 2026.

What an ODP does

Theatres run on small teams, and an ODP is one of the people in them. The work splits into three phases. In the anaesthetic room you prepare equipment and drugs, check the patient’s identity and consent paperwork, and assist the anaesthetist while the patient is put under. During the operation you may work as a scrub practitioner, passing instruments and counting swabs and sharps, or as a circulating practitioner who fetches and records. In recovery you watch the patient wake up, manage their airway and pain, and hand over to the ward.

Some ODPs stay in one phase and others rotate. Emergency theatres, day surgery units, obstetric theatres and critical care outreach all use ODPs, so pace and patients vary a lot between hospitals.

Routes in

The usual route is a three-year BSc (Hons) in operating department practice, or a diploma of higher education at some universities. Check that the HCPC approves the course, because only graduates of approved programmes can register. Each university sets its own entry requirements, so read the prospectus.

There is also a degree apprenticeship. An NHS trust or other provider employs you, you spend part of your week at university and the rest in theatres, and the employer funds the course. These posts are advertised like any other job, on NHS Jobs and on trust websites, and competition for them can be high.

Some people reach the profession from theatre support work. If you are already a theatre support worker, ask your trust about apprenticeship places or secondments, since employers often prefer to grow their own staff.

Registration

You cannot practise as an ODP in the UK without HCPC registration, and the title is protected. Registration is renewed on a cycle set by the regulator, and you must declare that you are keeping your skills up to date. The HCPC registration guide covers the process. Overseas-trained practitioners apply to the HCPC to have their qualifications assessed, and the immigration rules in the Health and Care Worker visa guide apply on top of that.

What the job pays

A newly qualified ODP usually starts on band 5. Under Agenda for Change in England, the 2026/27 pay points are:

Band 5 point	Annual pay from 1 April 2026
Entry	£32,073
After 2 years	£34,592
Top (after a further 2 years)	£39,043

Experienced ODPs who lead a theatre list, supervise students or take on a specialist area can move to band 6, which runs from £39,959 to £48,117. Band 7 posts exist for theatre managers and some educator roles, starting at £49,387. London staff also receive a high cost area supplement, which for band 5 brings the entry rate to £38,488 in inner London.

Scotland has its own Agenda for Change rates and pay points, with band 5 at £34,494, £36,857 and £42,977 from 1 April 2026. Wales is reported to have followed the 3.3% England award, and Northern Ireland’s 2026/27 award was still unconfirmed on 16 October 2026. Pay rises each year with the NHS award, and unsocial hours payments apply to nights and weekends (see NHS unsocial hours enhancements). To see what a band 5 salary leaves after tax, use the take-home pay calculator.

Hours and working life

Theatre lists often run in blocks, with early starts, long days and on-call rotas for emergency surgery. Many trusts use 12-hour shifts, and on-call work usually attracts extra payments. Annual leave follows Agenda for Change: 27 days on appointment, 29 after five years and 33 after ten, plus eight public holidays.

The job is physical. You spend long periods standing in lead aprons, in a sterile, time-pressured setting where mistakes matter. Some people find that suits them exactly, and others find it narrower than ward work.

Finding jobs

Search for “operating department practitioner”, “anaesthetic practitioner” or “recovery practitioner” on NHS Jobs, and see how to use the NHS Jobs website. Trusts also advertise preceptorship programmes for new graduates, which give extra supervision in the first year. Browse current vacancies under allied health roles.