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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 funding opportunities from Skills for Care and partners.

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News from Skills for Care

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

There have been several developments with this training over the last few months, including:

The Code of Practice is out for consultation. It is important that as many people as possible complete this; both those who work in services for people with a learning disability and autistic people, and those in the wider social care sector.
A new powerful animation has been co-designed and co-produced with autistic people and people with a learning disability. It is aimed at helping staff and employers across health and social care to understand Oliver's training and why it is so vitally important. 
‘Train the Trainer’ training for people with lived experience to deliver both Tier 1 and Tier 2 is starting to progress across all regions, and this is being led by the local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).
Paula McGowan has launched a petition to make Oliver’s training mandatory in education.

For general information, visit The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training webpage.

Spotting the signs when a person becomes unwell

RESTORE2 is a physical deterioration and escalation tool for those supporting people in care homes, supported living and people who live in their own homes. Skills for Care, funded by NHS England, has revised the existing training and guidance for the RESTORE2 Mini to make it more accessible for social care.

⇨ Find the tool

Evaluating the training tool

As part of our ongoing evaluation, we're looking at how the training tool is being used and recording some videos and sector stories. Complete our short survey to tell us how you're using these resources.

Guidance and resources from the Government, regulators and advisory bodies

Government response to rapid review of patient safety in mental health hospitals

The Government has responded to the recommendations made in the rapid review of patient safety in mental health by announcing plans to tackle concerns about abuse and unsafe practices in mental health hospitals. This will include a new Health Services Safety Investigations Body and a commitment to publish information about safety risk complaints, feedback and whistleblowing alerts in mental health inpatient settings.

⇨ Read more

New: NICE quick guides

NICE has produced two new ‘quick guides’ to help support practitioners and commissioners:

Person-centred future planning is a quick guide for practitioners supporting people growing older with learning disabilities which includes planning for future changes to meet needs in housing, health, financial support and end of life.
Arranging services for people with a learning disability and behaviour that challenges is a quick guide for commissioners covering the importance of commissioning services in the community, specialist support and housing.

News from the sector

Safeguarding Adults Review into Whorlton Hall

Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership has published its full report of the Safeguarding Adults Review into Whorlton Hall. On 27 April 2023, four staff members were convicted of ill-treating patients in their care at the Whorlton Hall specialist private hospital.

⇨ Find details of the police report

'Treat us as People’, Learning Disability England’s response to the death of Sally Lewis

On 30 May, a coroner found that Sally Lewis, a woman with learning disabilities living in a care home run by Dimensions, died of constipation and neglect in 2017.

⇨ Read Learning Disability England’s response

NHS England: constipation toolkit

Constipation can be a life–threatening issue for people with a learning disability who are at heightened risk from complications if it is left untreated.

NHS England have produced resources, including an animation, posters, leaflets and social media assets, to help prevent, recognise and treat constipation in people with a learning disability. They can be printed and used in home or care settings, to help with conversations about constipation, leading to swift treatment and improved outcomes for people.

Resources are available to support people with a learning disability, their carers, and people who work in primary care.

⇨ Find all of the relevant materials

Building the Right Support Action Plan anniversary

On July 14 2023, one year since the Government published the Building the Right Support Action Plan, the Challenging Behaviour Foundation and Mencap published a statement outlining their concerns regarding the pace of change, the risk of further missed targets and the impact on individuals and families.

⇨ Read the statement

Events

Bild Growing Older with Learning Disabilities (GOLD) conference: 8 November 2023

The conference will focus on preventing avoidable deaths and seeks to highlight lesser-known issues for people with learning disabilities and provide practical suggestions for positive developments.

The conference will be of particular interest to healthcare professionals working with the general public, learning disability professionals, and those working in social care. Early bird booking is available until 13 September and the full conference programme will be announced very soon.

⇨ Book your place

Get involved

Have you completed the national survey of care
workers?

The Government has launched the first major national survey of all care workers in all care roles in adult social care in England.  

Whether you’re employed by a care provider, agency or an individual or family, we want to hear from you about your experiences of working in social care. 

It’s a chance for you to influence the decisions being made by the Government on how they should support everyone working in social care to ensure care workers get the resources, recognition and development necessary to provide the best quality of care and to excel in their careers. 

The survey will take no more than 20 minutes to complete.  