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Qualifying at St. Thomas’s Hospital in 1980 he has been a member of the Professional Council of the College of Operating Department Practitioners for forty-three years.  Past President and now Patient Safety Lead.   Bill served as Chair of the Council for nine years from 1991 and was the first ODP President of CODP, serving fifteen years from 2002.

Bill played a key role in the development of the ODP as a profession, including Registration with the HCPC in 2004 and recently leading the Colleges’ submission whereby ODPs joined the AHP family in 2017.

As an advocate of patient safety, he represented the profession on the Surgical Never Events Taskforce, chairing a writing group that produced the National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPs), continuing as a member of NHSI’s Never Events Focus Groups. Bill has been a Trustee of the charity Action Against Medical Accidents - AvMA.org.uk, for six years. He continues to speak publicly about his experiences with supporting harmed patients.In 2018 the Royal College of Anaesthetists recognised his contribution to the development of the ODP Profession and patient safety, conferring its highest award of Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College, FRCA. And in 2022 he became an Honorary Doctor at Birmingham City University.

Bill worked for the NHS for forty-six years, forty-five as an ODP - student and qualified, finally retiring from the role of Divisional Director for Women and Child Health, a position he held for twelve years.

He remains a registered ODP and continues to advocate for the profession and the cause of patient safety. Most recently as part of the advisory groups for the NCEPOD Study on Emergency Surgery for Children and Young People; and The NHS Resolution Maternity Incentive Scheme Safety Actions

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John qualified as an Operating Department Assistant in (ODA) 1983 and worked clinically at a few hospitals around the UK for just over twenty years. During this time John became involved in practice-based education and saw the ODA evolve into the Registered Operating Department Practitioner. During his four-year term on the council of AODP (now CODP), John took up the role in 2004 as lecturer in Operating Department Practice at the University of Leicester. Although now retired, he remains as a visiting lecturer and undertakes some work as a Perioperative Consultant for the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP).  Until recently John regularly spent time in theatres to keep up to date with current practice and developments.

 

John first became a member of the AfPP Governance Committee in 2014 before being elected as a Trustee in November 2017. In 2021 and 2022, he served as President of AfPP, the first ODP to take up the role and during this time sat on the Board of the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC). John was also very involved in updating the HCPC ODP Standards of Proficiency as well as projects with NHS England and NHS Scotland which influenced the future of Perioperative practice.

John is interested in how UK Theatre Staff can support Perioperative Practice internationally. As such, John is a Trustee for Friends of Africa Nursing, and in 2023, together with his joint presenter at this conference, Bill Kilvington visited New Zealand as conference speakers and advisors to the New Zealand Anaesthetic Technicians Society (NZATS). Much of that work is being realised today as ATs become Perioperative Practitioners in much the same way as UK ODPs.

In December 2025, John was honoured, and somewhat surprised, to be elected a Fellow of the College of Operating Department Practitioners.

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Philipp Wolf is the founder and CEO of sqior medical GmbH, a company building digital assistants for clinical teams to orchestrate real-time workflows in hospitals. With fifteen years in the healthcare technology industry and a strong track record of driving digital transformation in leading European hospitals  particularly in the operating theatre he brings deep domain expertise to the intersection of clinical operations and technology. Trained as a biomedical engineer and holding a degree in business administration, Philipp is passionate about software solutions that close the gap between what EPR systems promise and what clinicians actually need to run efficient, patient-centred care.

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My name is Oliver Henry. I am a Specialist Anaesthetist and have been based at the Royal Liverpool Hospital for 10 years.  My clinical interests include perioperative medicine, sedation, orthopaedics and emergency surgery. I have played a key role in departmental quality improvement initiatives, including the standardisation of difficult airway equipment and the organisation of multidisciplinary simulation training for anaesthetic emergencies I am actively involved in education and training, contributing to teaching programmes for junior doctors and medical students, as well as supporting departmental induction and ongoing professional development. I am also engaged in perioperative research, with involvement in collaborative studies aimed at improving surgical outcomes and patient care pathways. I am particularly interested in how experienced Specialist-grade doctors can enhance service delivery, improve efficiency, and provide high-quality care within the evolving operational landscape of the NHS.

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I am a Senior Operating Department Practitioner currently working in anaesthetics at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and have five years of experience in perioperative care, resuscitation and intensive care. I am also a certified Advanced Life Support Instructor, delivering training to healthcare professionals to support effective responses in critical situations.

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Neil is an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) with over 20 years’ experience in healthcare, more than half of which has been spent in senior clinical and operational leadership roles. He currently serves as Head of Theatre Services, where he provides strategic leadership across complex perioperative environments, championing clinical excellence, patient safety, and continuous service improvement.   Neil has a strong track record in workforce development, clinical governance, and operational transformation, working closely with multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality, resilient services. He is particularly passionate about emergency preparedness and response, drawing on real-world experience to strengthen systems, improve team performance under pressure, and enhance organisational readiness for major incidents.   A collaborative and inclusive leader, Neil is committed to fostering strong partnerships across clinical, engineering, and operational teams to improve patient outcomes, support staff wellbeing, and build sustainable, future-ready healthcare services.

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Chris is a Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the Centre for Trauma Sciences at Queen Mary University of London, UK. His PhD research is focusing on the potential utility of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) to treat cardiac dysfunction associated with major trauma haemorrhage. Gaining international recognition for this work, he has spoken at conferences in the UK, Europe and North America. In addition, he has contributed to popular podcasts in emergency medicine, trauma and surgery. He has a background as a Lead Clinical Perfusionist, where he has gained extensive experience in ECMO and mechanical circulatory support in the management of complex, life-threatening cardiac and respiratory failure and refractory cardiac arrest. He is passionate about clinical education and has previously undertaken a teaching fellowship at King’s College London School of Medicine. He is actively involved with the novel ‘SPEAR’ (Specialist Percutaneous Endovascular Aortic Resuscitation) pre-hospital endovascular resuscitation programme at East Anglia Air Ambulance and is a faculty member on the Paris Rescue Team pre-hospital ECMO course, run by SAMU de Paris. Chris is an honorary lecturer in Resuscitation Science for the Institute of Prehospital Care at London’s Air Ambulance. where he teaches on the intercalated BSc degree in Prehospital Medicine. His clinical and research interests span extracorporeal-endovascular resuscitation strategies in shock, cardiac arrest, and traumatic injury – taking these techniques from the traditional confines of the cardiac operating room and ICU to the resuscitation room trauma bay and to the streets!

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Helen Brothwood Lead Resuscitation Practitioner, Liverpool Women's University Hospital NHS Trust. ODP Helen Qualified in 2005, as a Operating Department Practitioner and worked till 2021 in the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen university Hospital Trust. During her time at the trust, she covered Scrub in major vascular, Upper GI, General and renal surgery, she then went onto Anaesthetics and was part of the emergency team covering Critical transfers, emergency Theatre Anaesthetics as an ODP.  This lead on to a year secondment in Intensive care as an ITU ODP, She then returned to Theatres and became a senior part of the team.  Helen was also a Advanced Life support provider from 2006, and maintained this status every 4 years, in 2017, she became an ALS Instructor by successfully completing her General Instructors course and by completing her two IC's. In 2018 she gained as role as a Practice Educator within Theatres delivering critical training to staff.   In 2021 Helen started her Resuscitation Practitioner role at the Liverpool Women's Hospital, and soon became the Resuscitation Manager, she still currently works here delivering training to staff and advising on emergencies.  During her time here she has completed an educational qualification and a CMI leadership course, she is a NLS provider and has made positive changes within the Resus department. Helen is now a GIC Instructor and regularly teaches on Resuscitation Council accredited courses. Helen also Co-Chairs a Operating Theatre conference at the EBME Expo, this is a two day conference and focus on Innovation, Education and Best practice. In her spare time Helen enjoys spending time with her family and walks with her two dogs, she also enjoys travelling to different countries.

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Luke has over 20 years of European commercial experience in medical device salesand marketing, working in senior roles for large multinationals before his current roleat SageTech, an innovative SME.

As the Head of Commercial, Luke is responsible for the global commercialisation ofSageTech Medical’s waste anaesthetic gas capture and recycling solution. 

“The sustainability mission of SageTech Medical to deliver a unique innovative solutionto support decarbonisation of the human and veterinary healthcare sectors’ is whatdrew me to the company…to help make a real difference for our environment and allthat live on our planet.” 

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Ellie is an ST6 anaesthetic registrar in the Mersey Deanery with interests in perioperative medicine, obstetric anaesthesia and medical education. She has completed a dedicated year in medical education, contributing to undergraduate and postgraduate training, and has developed a particular interest in simulation-based education to enhance perioperative team performance and patient safety.

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I am an ST7 Resident Anaesthetist in the Mersey region with clinical interests in Perioperative Medicine, Paediatrics, and Regional Anaesthesia. Throughout my training, I have beeninvolved in projects aimed at improving patient safety, enhancing healthcare efficiency, and delivering cost-saving initiatives.

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Stephen is a finance professional with over twenty years’ experience of working in a wide range of roles in the NHS. He is a father of two daughters and lives in the North-West of England.

In February 2019, his youngest daughter Leah was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening form of cancer, which changed the course of his life forever. In 2025, he published his book ‘In Her Best Interests’, which chronicles his experiences as a father living through every parent’s worst nightmare.

Stephen’s story is powerful and emotional, yet heart-warming and hopeful. He talks about the role of the whole team around the patient, and the importance of hope and how it can help overcome even the seemingly impossible.

Outside of his day job, Stephen travels around the country sharing his experiences, raising awareness of childhood cancer and raising money for numerous charities that have supported him and his family along the way.

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Dr. Runnels is the founder, inventor, and driving force behind Through the Cords. He is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Utah. He was fellowship trained as a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist at Cambridge University in the UK and has extensive experience in difficult airway management in both high resource and low resource settings. In 2015, he returned to his practice at the University of Utah after a three-year sabbatical teaching in Africa. He spent one year in Guinea on the surgical hospital ship Africa Mercy, and two years as faculty at the National University of Rwanda. He is focused on decreasing the costs of and simplifying difficult airway management with the long-term goal of increasing access to surgical care in developing countries. 

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Tom has an NHS career spanning 20 years. He graduated as an ODP 2011 and began a career in the Emergency Department. His job was based in the resuscitation room to help with nursing care and to perform other, more specialist tasks. Over the space of 9 years, he progressed to the band 7 ‘Lead ED Practitioner’.   Tom is now an ED Advanced Clinical Practitioner and is one of less than a handful of ODP ACPs across the whole of the UK."

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