Mencap joins charities, campaigners and health leaders to warn of the imminent collapse of the learning disability nursing workforce
A coalition of leading charities, campaigners and health
organisations
Organisations are groups like companies and businesses.
, spearheaded by the
learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
charity Mencap, has today written to the Secretary of State for Health and
Social Care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
, Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, warning of an imminent collapse in learning disability (LD) nursing that
threatens
To threaten someone is to say you are going to do something bad to them if they don’t do what you want them to do.
the lives of thousands of people with a learning disability.
The joint letter – with signatories including Baroness Rosa Monckton MBE, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, Professor Nicola Ranger, and campaigner Paula McGowan OBE - highlights shocking figures:
- A 43% decline in LD nurse numbers since 2009
- Whole regions left without training courses as universities close programmes
- Predicted collapse of the profession by 2028 if urgent action isn’t taken
- People with a learning disability already face stark health inequalities, dying on average 20 years earlier than the general population and being twice as likely to die avoidably.
- LD nurses play a critical role in preventing these deaths, yet the workforce is shrinking at an alarming rate.
The letter calls on the Government The Government are the people who run the country. They decide how much tax people should pay for things and how things like the National Health Service should work. to:
- Recommit to and fund training targets promised in the NHS The NHS is the National Health Service. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals. Workforce Plan
- Launch national recruitment campaigns to attract new LD nurses
- Guarantee financial Financial means anything that is to do with money. It is used to describe how people, businesses, or governments get money and how they use it support for students and employers to sustain training and apprenticeships
- Set minimum staffing levels to ensure safe care and protect Protect means keeping someone or something safe. lives.
Jon Sparkes OBE, Chief Executive of learning disability charity Mencap, said:
“Learning disability nurses save lives. Without urgent intervention, this profession will disappear, leaving people with a learning disability at even greater risk.
“Health bosses must act now – recommit to the workforce plan, fund training, and stop this crisis before it’s too late.”
The coalition is calling for an urgent meeting with Ministers to agree a rescue plan for the profession and safeguard the health and lives of people with a learning disability.
-ENDS-
For further information, please contact Mencap’s media team on: [email protected] or 02076 965414 (including out of hours).
Note to editors
About Mencap
Mencap exists to ensure the UK is the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives. We support people directly and campaign with people with a learning disability, their families and carers. We work to change laws, increase representation and campaign for better health, social care and
employment
Employment means having a job.
opportunities for the 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK.
What is a learning disability?
- A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which affects someone for their whole life. Typically, people with a learning disability need more time to learn and process information. They may need extra support to develop skills, complete tasks and interact with others, or they may have more complex needs requiring round-the clock care. The level of support needed is different for everyone and may change during a person’s lifetime.
- Learning disability is NOT a mental illness or a learning difficulty. Often, the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used in place of ‘learning disability’. Having a learning difficulty (such as ADHD or
dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. People who have dyslexia can find it hard to read, write and spell.
) may mean a person learns at a different pace or in a different way BUT – unlike a learning disability - it does not affect a person’s intellect. With the right support, most people with a learning disability can lead happy, healthy, independent lives. At Mencap, it’s our mission to remove societal barriers and shatter misconceptions to make this more possible for more people.
Mencap’s guide to reporting on Learning Disability
When it comes to creating content with people with a learning disability, we know many people feel nervous about saying and doing the wrong thing. Our guide for journalists, covers everything from up-to-date facts and figures to the right language to use. It also includes tips on how to work with people with a learning disability to gather the best content.
