On Thursday 28th April, The Oliver McGowan
Mandatory
Mandatory means that something must be done.
Training in
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.
and
Autism
Autism is a disability. Autistic people find it difficult to understand what other people think and feel. They also find it difficult to tell people what they think and feel. Everyone with autism is different.
passed into
law
Laws are the rules that everyone in the country has to follow. If you don't follow the rules you can get in trouble with the police.
as part of the Health and Care Act 2022, following strong support by
the government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much tax people should pay and how things like the National Health Service (NHS) should work.
to legislate for
mandatory
Mandatory means that something must be done.
training across the health and care sectors.
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training will educate and train health and social care staff, at the right level for their role, to provide better health and social care outcomes for people with a learning disability and autistic people.
On Thursday 17th March 2022, Baroness Sheila Hollins put forward an amendment to the Health and Care Bill in the House of Lords to pass The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training into law, which was supported by Peers and accepted by the government.
People with a learning disability are more likely to die avoidably and die younger than the general population.[i] The passing into law of Oliver’s training is an important step in ensuring people with a learning disability and autistic people get the health and care support they need.
Oliver McGowan was a young man with a mild learning disability and autism, who died aged 18 after being given anti-psychotic medication against both his own and his parents’ wishes, because he had experienced previous adverse reactions to anti-psychotics.
Oliver’s premature death is not an isolated incident and highlighted the urgent need for health and social care staff to have better training in understanding learning disability and autism. In 2019 the government consulted on the future rollout of mandatory training, and Health
Education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university.
England have led trials of future mandatory training, which concluded at the end of 2021. An independent evaluation of the trials is expected to be published shortly.
Upon the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training passing into law Professor Sheila, the Baroness Hollins, said: “I am pleased to have worked with the government to deliver on the face of the Health and Care Act this vital requirement. That we will also have a Code of Practice on implementation of Oliver's training is very welcome, supporting health and social care employers to understand the training that needs to be delivered for their staff and the outcomes that must be achieved.”
Paula McGowan, OBE, and Tom McGowan, Oliver’s parents, said: “It is hugely significant that Oliver's training is now mandated in law, ready to be rolled out from 2023 to 3.7 million staff working across health and social care settings. We would like to thank Baroness Hollins and the government for working together to deliver the commitment made in the 2019 consultation
Consultation is finding out what people think about something. 'Right to be Heard' to make Oliver's training mandatory. This training will save lives and ensure Oliver's legacy lives on in the delivery of better health and care services for millions of autistic people and people with a learning disability."
Edel Harris OBE, Chief Executive of Royal Mencap Society said: “Mencap is proud to have been part of the trials of the future mandatory training over the last two years, working with Health Education England. At least 1,200 people with a learning disability die avoidably each year, and behind every death is a family like Oliver's. Mencap are proud to stand beside Oliver's parents who have campaigned tirelessly for better health outcomes for a group that is too often forgotten. We will continue to do everything we can to support colleagues across government, the NHS and social care sectors with the successful national rollout of this vital training, which will ultimately save lives.”
If anyone is struggling to access the healthcare they need, they can contact Mencap’s Freephone Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 or visit www.mencap.org.uk.
-ENDS-
For further information or to arrange an
interview
An interview is a meeting where you talk to someone or a group of people about something. When you have an interview for a job, you have to answer questions and say why you would be good at the job. The person who gives the best answers is offered the job.
with a Mencap
spokesperson
A spokesperson is someone who speaks up about something. They usually speak up on behalf of a group or
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
.
or
case study
A case study is a piece of writing that tells people more information about someone's experience.
, please contact Mencap’s media team on: media@mencap.org.uk or 020 7696 5414 (including out of hours).
Notes to editors:
[i] University of Bristol (2020) The Learning Disability Mortality Review (LeDeR) Programme Annual report 2019.
About Mencap
There are approximately 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to education,
employment
Employment means having a job.
and
leisure
Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub.
facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want: www.mencap.org.uk
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap’s Freephone Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (10am-3pm, Monday-Friday) or email helpline@mencap.org.uk.
What is a learning disability?
- A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which means that people might need support with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life;
- Learning disability is NOT a mental illness or a learning difficulty, such as
dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. People who have dyslexia can find it hard to read, write and spell.
. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’; - People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.