In this episode of The Surgical Checklist, Tony Jermy is joined by regular co-hosts David Huggins and Stan Swanepoel to explore the anaesthetic machine and breathing circuits from a practical perioperative perspective. Rather than focusing heavily on engineering theory, the discussion breaks down how ODPs interact with the machine in day-to-day theatre practice, the importance of machine checks, common breathing circuits encountered in anaesthetics, and the small details that can quickly become patient safety issues if missed.

The episode is aimed at learners who may find the anaesthetic machine intimidating at first and focuses on simplifying key concepts, building confidence, and developing practical understanding through real-world discussion and clinical anecdotes from experienced practitioners.

In this episode, Tony Jermy is joined by colleagues to explore the practical realities of managing medical devices in preoperative practice. Moving beyond theory, the discussion focuses on what ODPs actually do in theatre, from routine equipment checks and troubleshooting common issues to anticipating patient-specific needs and adapting setups in real time. Drawing on lived experience, the team reflects on what can go wrong, how small oversights can escalate, and how confidence with equipment develops through repetition and exposure. This episode offers pragmatic insight for learners navigating the complexity of theatre environments, emphasising safety, situational awareness, and the critical role of preparation in perioperative care.

In this episode, Look, Listen and Act, Tony Jermy and colleagues take a pragmatic look at the ABCDE approach to physiological assessment in perioperative practice. Rather than revisiting the theory in detail, the discussion focuses on how ABCDE is actually used in real clinical environments, drawing on lived experiences from theatre and recovery. The conversation explores how practitioners recognise early signs of deterioration, use ABCDE as a structured way of thinking under pressure, and avoid common pitfalls such as fixation or over-reliance on monitoring. While the full step-by-step breakdown is not covered, the episode offers valuable insight into how ABCDE becomes a practical, intuitive tool that supports safe and timely decision-making in everyday practice.

A practical exploration of oxygen therapy in perioperative practice, focusing on how ODPs assess, deliver, and adapt oxygen in real clinical situations. This episode centres on everyday decision-making, device selection, monitoring, and escalation, using real-world experiences to make sense of a commonly used but often misunderstood intervention. While not exhaustive, it offers a grounded discussion to help learners build confidence in using oxygen safely and appropriately in theatre and recovery.

In this episode of The Surgical Checklist, Tony Jermy is joined by regular co-host David Huggins and Stan Swanepoel to explore care planning and the nursing process in real perioperative practice. Moving beyond textbook definitions, the discussion focuses on how ODPs anticipate patient needs, adapt in dynamic theatre environments, and apply the nursing process in a way that is often intuitive rather than explicit. Through practical examples and reflections, the episode helps learners make sense of how structured frameworks translate into everyday clinical decision-making.

In this episode Tony Jermy is Joined by Stan Swanepoel as the pair discuss all things perioperative about 12 Lead ECGs.  Expect some practical tips, a little bit of background theory and some suggestions about what to look out for when interpreting 12 Lead ECG results.

In this episode of The Surgical Checklist, we take a practical look at routine blood results and blood gases, moving beyond the theory to explore what actually happens in theatre and recovery. Through real-world discussion, we unpack when and why tests like ABGs, FBCs, U&Es, and crossmatches are used, what the ODP role looks like in preparing and responding to them, and how to make sense of the numbers without becoming overwhelmed. Expect honest reflections, common pitfalls, and simple ways to prioritise what matters when results start coming through

In this episode of The Surgical Checklist, we explore the World Health Organization surgical safety checklist and the Five Steps to Safer Surgery from a practical, real-world perspective. Moving beyond theory, we discuss how the checklist is actually used in theatre, where it works well, and where it can break down under pressure. With a focus on the ODP role, this episode highlights how communication, teamwork, and human factors influence patient safety, and why meaningful engagement with the checklist matters far more than simply completing it.  

In this episode, Tony, Dave and Stan discuss a number of topics on academic study skills, including finding evidence to support your discussion, critical analysis and academic referencing.  The trio also discuss their pet hates and tips to avoid common pitfalls.

In this episode, Tony Jermy is joined by guest Matthew Moreland the Course Director for Speech and Language Therapy at UEA Norwich.  In the episode the pair talk about why communication is important in perioperative practice and healthcare in general, how people get it wrong and what you can do to be a better communicator.

Links:

DemTalk - http://www.demtalk.org.uk/
Mental Health Matters - https://www.mhm.org.uk/