Training helps staff care for patients with learning disabilities and autism

Early trials of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on learning disabilities and autism have been successful, with health and care staff speaking positively about the training at a roundtable hosted by the Care Minister.

Health and care staff at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London told the Care Minister Gillian Keegan, campaigners Tom and Paula McGowan OBE and Baroness Sheila Hollins about the ‘lightbulb moment’ of realisation they had after participating in the trials of the learning disability and autism training.

The training is named after Oliver McGowan, who died in 2016 after being given antipsychotic drugs by hospital staff. His mother Paula successfully launched a campaign to make training on treating patients with learning disabilities and autism mandatory for all health and care staff, and was presented with an OBE by HRH The Duke of Cambridge on Wednesday 4 May for her campaign.

The health and care staff who participated in the trial said the training tackled unconscious biases and was useful in understanding how to better treat patients with learning disabilities and autism.

They noted that hearing from people with lives experiences and their families made the training stand out compared with other training they had received.

In 2019 the government committed to develop a standardised training package, coordinated by Health Education England (HEE) and Skills for Care.

Minister for Care and Mental Health Gillian Keegan said: ‘People in health and care will come across people with learning disabilities and autistic people most days. This training will give our workforce the confidence to give the right care and support to those with additional needs.

‘The training is co-delivered and co-designed by people with lived experiences and already 8,000 people have taken part in our pilots.

‘Hearing from those who have been through the training was fantastic, and many called it life-changing. I could feel the energy and enthusiasm and know that the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is making a real difference.’

Paula McGowan OBE commented: ‘Hearing from clinicians who have taken part in the training was wonderful. They were telling us about all they had taken from the training and how impactful it was. This was done with our neurodiverse community, co-designed and co-delivered by those with lived experience.

‘Conversations have now opened about neurodiversity and they feel enabled to stand up and say when things are not right. We have got to work together to change the culture and hear their voices.’

Photo by The Climate Reality Project