A MODERN hospital is a bit like a clock, in so far as the doctors and nurses are the hands on the face that patients see, but behind the scenes many other professionals make safe and effective treatment possible.

The Trust that runs Shropshire’s two acute hospitals has celebrated the roles of Operating Department Practitioners (ODP) during ODP Day last Saturday.

Patients will very often not be aware that it is an ODP who will provide skilled care for them from the moment they arrive in the operating theatre department to when they are discharged from the recovery room.

This year’s theme is “Inspiring the next generation” so The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) aims to spread the word far and wide about ODP roles and encourage others to consider it as a career.

At SaTH, there are more than 40 ODPs who have a wide and diverse range of skills.