Government seeks views on learning disability and autism training

Posted on 29 June 2023

In the media, you may have seen news on a Government consultation, launched today, on new learning disability and autism training being developed for health and care staff nationally.

The training is named after Oliver McGowan, a young autistic teenager with a mild learning disability who sadly died after having a severe reaction to medication given to him in hospital against his and his family’s strong wishes and the advice of previous doctors. Oliver’s parents have campaigned for better training for health and care staff to improve understanding of the needs of people with a learning disability and/or autism.

At Southdown, we welcome development of training that ensures people with a learning disability and autistic people receive the right levels of care and support that meet their individual needs, and helps reduce inequalities in health outcomes.

Whilst the legal requirement to have the training will apply to our 27 learning disability services across Sussex, the intention is that anyone who is supporting someone with a learning disability and/or autism will receive the training.

As a consequence, we’re tracking this development carefully, and will share information regarding what this means for us and timeframe as details become clear (currently there is no news of a date for introduction of this training beyond initial eLearning).

Running for 12 weeks, ending 19 September, the Government’s consultation invites all interested individuals and groups to provide their views on the draft code of practice. Government will then consider responses before laying the revised code in Parliament. More information is available online here.