Francesca Twentyman is an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) at the Trust.
To mark National Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) Day 2020 today she has written a story talking about How proud she is of the role she has.
“I would like to share with you my experience of being an ODP working within the Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
“I am a registered ODP and have been working for the Trust for six years within the General Theatres department.
“My role as an ODP is primarily working with patients during all stages of their operative journey, whist ensuring the highest quality of care is provided.
“When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit our hospital, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) team stepped up to fight this virus head on, preparing to increase their capacity to ensure patients needing ICU care had sufficient staff and equipment to support them.
“The call went out for help from anyone who had the skills and experience to help in ICU and I, and several of my fellow ODPs, wanted to be there to support our colleagues during this time.
“Even though this would be my first time working in ICU as a qualified ODP, I knew I had the transferrable skills to help care for a critical care patient. Skills such as providing personal care, monitoring and responding to patients based on their clinical observations, managing patients’ airways, as well as having knowledge on equipment such as invasive lines, pumps and ventilators.
“ODPs regularly care for critical care patients in many care settings, such as perioperatively during their operations, in the post anaesthetic care unit prior to transfer, on transfer to and from ICU and during ambulance transfer to other hospitals.
“This experience has demonstrated ODPs can be utilised in other care settings, practicing within their broad scope of practice, to enhance the quality of patient care. However, this could not have been possible without the wonderful support that I received from the ICU medical, nursing and AHP staff who are a credit to their respective professions and the Trust.
“This National ODP Day, will certainly be one to remember as it will be the year that ODPs stepped up and demonstrated how our skills, knowledge and experience are transferrable. But most importantly we were there for our patients, providing the best possible care when they most needed it.
“I could not be prouder of my profession, my colleagues and to be an ODP during this time.”
Nick Lane, Interim Chief AHP for the Trust. commented: “It’s inspiring to see that at a time of such unprecedented need our ODP workforce has helped the Trust ensure the very best in care and treatment could be offered to patients especially in a setting they would not usually apply their skills, knowledge and experience.
“Francesca’s story highlights the transferable skills within the ODP profession and the value that the workforce could offer outside of the perioperative setting. I’m looking forward to working with our ODPs to explore this in greater depth in the future so we can start to unleash their potential.”