Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure the sustainability of the supply of new entrants as operating department practitioners.

Reforms to healthcare education funding that started to take effect from 1 August 2017 have unlocked the cap which constrained the number of pre-registration healthcare programmes, including those for Operating Department Practitioners (ODP), allowing students to gain access to degree training courses.

Separately, Health Education England will be supporting the implementation of an apprenticeship route to professional qualification for ODPs offering an ‘earn as you learn’ route in to the profession.