Oliver Tierney has been announced as 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. Oliver 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 says he 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." He also 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 he believes 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,” commented Oliver. “Staff and patients are real people, and this needs to be fully recognised and addressed.”
Oliver described the role as "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" and said he is excited to get involved at a national level, with the aim of making a difference.
Oliver will be on the international stage in April, when he represents AfPP at The Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Global Surgical Conference and Expo in Boston and is hoping to travel to Sri Lanka with a group of healthcare professionals looking to assist developing healthcare systems in September. Next year he will be attending the AORN event in New Orleans.
“It’s a big role, with lots of responsibility, but it gives me an opportunity to make real change nationally, and internationally," Oliver concluded.
