Perioperative practice
New AfPP President aims to drive ‘positive change’
Oliver Tierney, the new President of The Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP), the UK’s leading membership organisation dedicated to hospital theatre practitioners and improving perioperative care, has stepped into the role with a clear vision: to influence positive change in healthcare and safety in hospital operating theatres for staff and patients.
A passionate and dedicated educator driven by a deep knowledge and understanding of human factors, Oliver Tierney, who lives in Wallasey, is delighted to become the new AfPP President, and to have an opportunity to “affect real change”. Oliver, who has worked in healthcare since 1999, and is now the Clinical Lead for Education, Risk and Governance at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust and Charity in Fazakerley, Liverpool, says while he still loves what he does, there are serious issues that need tackling. Oliver says that staff are “under increasing pressure in the NHS, and it’s a numbers game now,” and raises the question: “Are we cutting corners on safety and pushing staff too hard?” Oliver further warns that budgets have been stripped right back, there is little money available for the professional development of staff, and “all student bursaries have been cancelled.” He adds that there has been no investment in community and social care, which is “short-sighted”. “After COVID, a lot of people working in healthcare threw in the towel and now, instead of patients in corridors, we see patients waiting
in ambulances,” comments Oliver. “Staff and patients are real people, and this needs to be fully recognised and addressed.” Oliver has just started his two-year AfPP
Presidency and has wasted no time in getting fully ensconced in the role.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be AfPP
President and I am excited to get involved at a national level, and my aim is to make a difference.” He started his healthcare career at the Royal
Liverpool Hospital, initially as a healthcare assistant, before deciding to train instead as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) at Edge Hill University. After qualifying, Oliver worked at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital as an ODP, before moving to The Walton Centre in 2013. He became a Band 6 Clinical Skills Facilitator in 2015 and then a Band 7 Practice Education Facilitator in 2017. He has been in his current role as Lead for Education, Risk and Governance since May 2022. He won The Walton Centre “Best Contribution to Education” Award in 2016 and, in 2019, was part of the team to win the AfPP Team of the Year Award for Innovation, at The
Walton Centre, for The Walton Surgical Assistant Project; a project that involved developing and implementing a role with Band 6 ODPs around surgical skills. His devotion to education shows, as he speaks
of how The Walton Centre has turned around so called “failing” students. “We are proud of the support we give to these students, and the time we spend with them. We get a lot of satisfaction when these students qualify and go on to have great careers. Many keep in touch, which is fabulous,” Oliver comments. Recently, Oliver has become an accredited Mental Health First Aider and, from this, set up the Walton Theatre Health and Wellbeing team. Oliver is a huge advocate for looking out for each other and finds human factors a fascinating area. “My view is that it’s often the system that leads
to staff making errors, and while it’s easy to apply blame, this doesn’t make it safe. We need to look at the systems, and this takes time,” he continues. In his hospital role, Oliver enjoys reviewing and analysing incidents and developing safer systems. He is also passionate about acknowledging and raising awareness about mental health. “This was the reason I set up the Walton Theatre Health and Wellbeing Team. People
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I April 2025
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