ODP/Theatre Nurse

Job summary
Interviews for this position will require face-to-face attendance as there will be a practical assessment. We are not able to accommodate requests for alternative dates or remote interviews.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for registered nurses and operating department professionals (ODPs) to work at Kettering General Hospital within the Theatre Department. The role offers the opportunity to work in a range of specialties including Orthopedics, General Surgery, Urology, Breast, ENT, and Maxillo-Facial surgery along with an out of hours emergency service.

As an ODP/Theatre Nurse you must have a good knowledge and experience in perioperative practice and an excellent understanding of peri-anesthesia nursing care. To practice the role, you must be an Operating Department Practitioner registered with the Health Professions Council (HCPC) OR a NMC registered Nurse (with appropriate and accredited post-graduate anesthetic module/course).

You must be motivated and enthusiastic with a passion for high quality patient care, as well as the ability to work well under pressure and flexibly as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Working as an ODP/Theatre Nurse you will be required to function effectively as a member of the peri-operative team to ensure the provision of an efficient and high-quality anesthesia service.

Main duties of the job
Ensure a welcoming, caring and safe environment and promote, maintain and monitoring standards in accordance with the NMC/HCPC and CQC guidelines.

As an ODP/Theatre Nurse, you will be responsible for helping and offering support for patients undergoing surgery. You will support the team to prepare a wide range of specialist equipment and drugs, including anaesthetic machines, intravenous equipment and devices that safely secure the patient's airway during anesthesia.

As a member of the multidisciplinary theatre team, you will have continuing responsibility for supporting your colleagues in the day-to-day management of the unit, ensuring a safe delivery of care and smooth patient flow.

You will devise, implement and assess individualized care plans for a wide and diverse patient group, and promote best evidence-based practice.

In the absence of the Senior ODP, you will expect to supervise junior colleagues and unqualified members of our team staff, ensuring that all staff are able to provide the highest standard of care.

About us
Please submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close adverts once sufficient applications have been received.

We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.

Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Details
Date posted: 21 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year per annum/ pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 264-8305323-SUR

Person Specification
Qualifications

• Essential: HCPC Registered ODP Qualification or NMC Registered Nurse with Anaesthetic Course
• Essential: Evidence of post registration study in peri-operative care, NVQ level study or equivalent
• Essential: Evidence of Accredited Post-Graduate Anaesthetic Module/Course
• Desirable: Leadership qualification
• Desirable: Relevant degree/willing to work towards

Knowledge & Experience

• Essential: Post Registration experience as band 5 staff nurse/ODP or equivalent in Theatres
• Essential: Relevant experience in a peri anaesthesia care environment
• Desirable: Evidence of involvement in teaching and mentoring learners
• Desirable: Evidence of ability to supervise members of the team
• Desirable: Experience of working in theatres within the NHS in the last 1 year

Skills

• Able to deliver a high standard of Evidence based individual patient care
• Delivers nursing care in line with Trust policies and protocols
• Computer/IT Literacy
• Effective communicator with good leadership and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work under pressure and effective time management
• Resuscitation skills and the knowledge to initiate appropriate action in a clinical emergency
• Airway management skills
• Safe administration of intravenous drugs and the preparation and programming of PCA and epidural pumps
• To input and retrieve patient and staff information from computer-based systems
• Maintain accurate and contemporaneous patient records
• Dealing with difficult situations/people
• Being able to react to sudden changes in patient condition and having the knowledge to deal effectively with the situation

Key Competencies/Personal Qualities and Attributes

• Empathic
• Strong desire to improve service standards
• Projects a professional image always
• Punctual, adaptable, and Flexible
• Willing to learn new skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address: University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, Kettering, NN16 8UZ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.kgh.nhs.uk/working-for-us

Contact for questions about the job:
Treatment Centre Theatre Lead, Adebimpe Adedokun, adebimpe.adedokun@nhs.net, 01536491302