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Workforce update for

services that support people with a learning disability and/or autistic people

Welcome to this workforce development update for adult social care services that support people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. It shares the latest news, resources, events and opportunities from ΢΢²ÝÊÓƵ and partners.

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News from ΢΢²ÝÊÓƵ

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism: Update

We are pleased to hear that over one million people have completed The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism e-learning since launching in November 2022.  
 
The e-learning is the first part of Oliver’s training and prepares staff for the second part that involves meeting and learning directly from people who have a learning disability and autistic people.  
 
Oliver's training will upskill the workforce to provide appropriately adjusted care for autistic people and people who have a learning disability and reduce health inequalities.  
 
For more information, read the and visit .

What’s next? 

Gloucester Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust will work in partnership with Inclusion Gloucestershire to deliver the Tier 1 trainer training. The National Autistic Society will work in partnership with The Estia Centre to deliver the Tier 2 trainer training. If you would like a place on this course, the next step is for you to make to note your interest. Alternatively, if you are a national organisation with teams across England, and do not fall within a region, please let england.ommt@nhs.net know.

News from the sector

Changing Our Lives project to help people with learning disabilities in hospital

Acute Liaison Nurses can play a vital role in supporting people with learning disabilities to get the care and treatment they need. Through this national project, Changing Our Lives wants to coproduce a competency framework for them. The project wants to hear from people with learning disabilities and their families. In particular:

• people with the label of profound and multiple learning disabilities
• people from minority ethnic communities
• people whose care is labelled as ‘complex’ or ‘challenging’
• people with very low-level support needs who may attend hospital unaccompanied.

The second part of the project will be working with people with learning disabilities and families to say what good practice looks like for Acute Liaison Nurses. From this, they will make a toolkit for health trusts, including training materials and best practice stories. 

If you want to get involved to share your experiences or if you are an Acute Liaison Nurse, you can get in touch by email on ask@changingourlives.org.

Burdett Nursing Discharge Tool for People with Learning Disabilities

A discharge planner has been developed for nurses that require active participation and decision-making from service users throughout the process to ensure a person-centred and recovery approach.

There is an accompanying guidance manual to assist with implementation and to standardise the process, which can be used by both learning disability nurses and those from other fields of nursing supporting people with learning disabilities. 

‘Poo busters!’: Messages about constipation parody song

The NHS in Derbyshire have produced this great parody of the song ‘Ghostbusters’ with important messages about constipation in a visual and engaging way. 

LeDeR YouTube channel

The LeDeR programme have worked in co-production to make their reports and information more accessible. Lots of people find videos more helpful than written documents, so they now have a YouTube channel where the important findings are shared with recorded voices, useful graphics and captions. The full video of the report is also available in shorter colour coded sections.

Training to meet the medical needs of adults with a learning disability

Health Education England (HEE), now known as NHS England (NHSE), commissioned the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) to develop a training programme to meet the medical needs of adults with a learning disability. 

The Post Graduate Certificate has been designed for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals working at a senior level and caring for people with a learning disability. It will be delivered with experts by experience. Successful completion of two 30-credit modules will result in a post graduate certificate in Medical Practice in Adult Learning Disability through Edge Hill University. Funded places are available for February 2024 entry.

Review of advocacy for inpatients in specialist hospitals

NDTi have published their review of advocacy for people with a learning disability and autistic people who are inpatients in mental health, learning disability or autism specialist hospitals. 

The review considers how advocacy can change people’s lives for the better. It also recognises that challenges exist within advocacy provision: people do not always receive the best possible support from advocacy, that advocacy is often misunderstood, that it can lack independence; and that commissioning of advocacy could be improved. The report highlights the need for involvement of family members, and the need for a multi-agency approach to improve advocacy for people in these settings.

Social workers’ training resource inspired by ‘Growing Older and Planning Ahead’ research

Paradigm have created a training resource based on the findings of a research project conducted by researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University. The research aimed to help older people with learning disabilities and their family carers better plan for the future and encourage social workers and others to reflect on how they can better support people with a learning disability and their families as they grow older.

Good Lives: Building Change Together

The Good Lives Framework brings together people’s thoughts and ideas about what it will take for everyone with learning disabilities to be able to live their good life. It was put together by a group of 40 self-advocates and covers six key areas including: 

• A ΢΢²ÝÊÓƵ
• Communication and Staying Connected
• The Right Support
• To Love and be Loved
• Effective Voice – Self Advocacy and Advocacy
• Employment and Contribution

The framework is hosted by Learning Disability England but is not controlled by them.

, including plain English and easy read versions.  

Autism Alliance's latest research report and campaign

The Autism Alliance’s ‘Breaking point: Closing the gap in care and support for autistic adults in England’ report highlights that over 10,000 autistic adults in the UK are not getting the social care they need. Three quarters of which are reaching crisis point before the social care they need is provided, with an average wait of over two years. This is leaving them at risk of harm or admission to mental health units. At the same time, the number of autistic people in these hospitals is higher now than in 2015. 

Events and get involved

Meeting the needs of neurodiverse practitioners 

Research in practice are hosting a webinar on Tuesday 23 January 2024 which will explore how organisations can support neurodivergent practitioners to thrive and progress. In particular, it will look at the topic in the context of the continuing recruitment and retention crisis in social work, and why it is important to do so. 

Good health for people with learning disabilities

Bild are working with Learning Disability England on Good Health, the next chapter of the Good Lives Framework.

To make sure that the Good Health chapter is accurate and reflects what is really needed, they want to hear from people with learning disabilities, their carers and supporters and the professionals involved in their care. They have put together a survey for you to complete or to pass on to anyone you know who could provide a useful perspective in the writing of this chapter.

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