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Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training ‘vitally important’

NHS England have developed a powerful video animation to help the health and social care workforce understand the importance of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training package.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training framework for learning disabilities and autism is vitally importantIt has been made available as the Department of Health and Social Care runs a consultation on its draft code of practice for the training.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training for Learning Disabilities and Autism was developed to help revolutionise training for those who work with and support individuals with learning disabilities and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Developed by the former Health Education England (recently merged with NHS England) and Skills for Care, it is the government’s preferred and recommended training route for CQC-registered providers to meet the new legislative requirement introduced by the Health and Care Act 2022.

A result of years of campaigning by Oliver McGowan’s family, the Health and Care Act 2022 requires all registered health and social care providers to ensure that all their staff receive training in learning disabilities and autism appropriate to their role.

Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training ‘vitally important’

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training package will help ensure that staff provide safe, compassionate and dignified care for people with learning disability or autismDesigned, delivered and evaluated with the help of people who have lived experience of learning disabilities and autism, the standardised Oliver McGowan training package provides health and care staff with the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to individuals who have autism and/or a learning disability.

It includes training on how to interact and communicate appropriately with people who have autism and/or a learning disability.

Now, NHS England has released an animation which they have co-designed and co-produced with people with autism and people with a learning disability. Lasting 4.5 minutes, it is designed to help staff and employers across the health and social care sector understand the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training framework and why it is so vitally important.

NHS England says: “Together, we can prevent the many avoidable deaths like Oliver’s from happening again.”

Give your views on the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training Code of Practice

Its hoped that the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training will improve healthcare outcomes for people with a learning disability or autismMeanwhile, the Department of Health and Social Care is inviting individuals and organisations to respond to their consultation on the draft Oliver McGowan code of practice on statutory learning disability and autism training.

Closing at 12pm on 19th September 2023, the consultation asks whether the draft code provides CQC-registered care providers with sufficient guidance to meet the legislative requirement to provide all staff with learning disability and autism training.

The views and feedback gathered from the consultation will inform the final version of the code to be laid out in Parliament.

When the draft code of practice was published in June this year, Maria Caulfield, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy), said in its foreword:

“The introduction of the requirement for learning disability and autism training by the Health and Care Act 2022 and publication of this code of practice represent a significant moment in the journey towards improving the care and treatment of people with a learning disability and autistic people.

“I have heard from people with a learning disability and autistic people and their families and carers about how care is often not good enough and how this can lead to poorer health outcomes and, in some cases, premature death.

“Every person with a learning disability and autistic person has the right to excellent care and service from wherever they choose to access it. Services must treat people equitably but should also acknowledge and adapt to the individual needs of people with a learning disability and autistic people.”

She added that all care providers “will need to demonstrate to the CQC how their training meets or exceeds the standards set out in this code of practice.”

Oliver’s training to bring meaningful improvement in care

People with a learning disability or autism have often not been listened to by health and care staffAs an infant, Oliver McGowan suffered from meningitis and later received diagnoses of mild hemiplegia, focal partial epilepsy, a mild learning disability and high-functioning autism.

As he grew up, Oliver experienced seizures and was hospitalised several times.

Despite having no diagnosis of psychosis or any other mental health disorder, Oliver was, on a number of occasions during his stays in hospital, physically restrained and given antipsychotic medication. He reacted badly to this medication.

Oliver tragically died on 11th November 2016, aged just 18, after the antipsychotic medication was once again administered to him despite medical staff being told repeatedly by both Oliver and his parents that he had suffered adverse reactions to it in the past.

Following his death, Oliver’s family campaigned for years to see meaningful improvements made in healthcare for people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Delivering Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training

First Response Training delivers the Oliver McGowan Mandatory TrainingFirst Response Training (FRT), as a dedicated national training provider, is proud to be one of the first training providers to be able to offer the official Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training for Learning Disabilities and Autism.

The only standardised training package guaranteed to meet the requirements laid out in the code of practice, it incorporates two tiers of training for different staff roles, and FRT can deliver both with a trio of qualified trainers. An experienced subject matter trainer will lead delivery, supported by a person with autism and a person with a learning disability, both known as Experts by Lived Experience.

As Maria Caulfield explained:

“The training is named in Oliver’s memory, in recognition of his story, his family’s tireless campaigning for better training for staff, and to remember him and others whose lives were cut tragically short.”

She also set out how the package “represents and clearly demonstrates the standard that the government expects training in this area to meet as set out in further detail in this code of practice.”

She added:

“The training has been trialled with over 8,000 participants and independently evaluated to ensure the final package is robust and high quality.

“Most importantly, people with a learning disability and autistic people have been involved throughout the development, trial, evaluation and now delivery of the training, ensuring that personal experience is always reflected. Co-production and co-delivery are at the heart of the training, and this is what sets Oliver’s training apart.”

For more information on the training, please contact FRT on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

CQC focuses on learning disability care during the pandemic

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released its latest insight report, which focuses on care provided for people with a learning disability during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ahead of the publication of their provider collaboration review (PCR) on people with a learning disability living in the community this month (July 2021), England’s care watchdog has looked at how services have worked together to meet people’s needs over the past year.

It follows concerns previously highlighted by the CQC about the care and treatment of people with a learning disability and people with autism. A swing can help a sensory seeking child to self-regulate.

The regulator says that the pandemic has “served to shine a light on some of these pre-existing challenges, gaps and poor-quality care.”

The right care at the right time

Introducing their latest insight report, the CQC explains:

“Support and services for people with a learning disability are often not good enough. For too long, people and their families have face significant and ongoing challenges in getting care at the right time that meets their individual needs.

“We have seen how this can lead to people staying for long periods in appropriate environments, being cared for by people who do not know them and who do not have the skills or knowledge to support them well.”

As part of their forthcoming PCR, the CQC have examined these issues and the impact they have had on people who use services, providers and stakeholders.

The 11th insight report from the watchdog outlines some key approaches to care delivery which can help ensure people receive the care and support they need, which enables them to lead fulfilling lives. These include:

  • Ensuring people are given choice, control and independence. This can include supporting them to live independently or to be cared for in the community close to their friends, family or support networks and ensuring they are not left isolated in hospital settings far from home.
  • Providing access to the right care and support at the right time. This includes providing access to suitable health care and support services, including in emergency and crisis situations.
  • Ensuring collaboration between services and with the person receiving care and their families. This includes sharing information when appropriate about the person, such as their likes, dislikes, interests and preferences, as well as information about their health and wellbeing.

Concerns remain

The CQC remains concerned about the lack of joint working and collaboration between services and how well they have shared information to ensure people receive the right care at the right time.

Particular issues have also been noted with transitioning people from children to adult services and the fact that people can often end up in inappropriate settings when things go wrong.

During the pandemic, people with a learning disability – who already have an increased risk of respiratory illnesses – have also been more vulnerable to Covid-19.

There has been an increase in deaths among people using services who have a learning disability.

While examining the problems faced accessing appropriate care and treatment for people with a learning disability during the Covid-19 pandemic, the CQC is also seeking to highlight examples of good practice where joint working has made a positive difference and improved outcomes for people.

Improving regulation of learning disability care

The insight report presents three areas of focus to improve the CQC’s regulation of services for people with a learning disability and people with autism:

  • Registering the right services – enabling people to use services that will support them with where and how they want to live.
  • Supporting providers to improve – ensuring that people are not moved in to services that are not safe or do not meet their needs.
  • Influencing the improvement of care pathways and ensuring that people are receiving the right care at the right time – accessing local services that meet people’s needs and ensuring they get the right healthcare when needed.

Training and support

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider. They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care and more.

Their health and social care range includes Learning Disability Awareness, Introduction to the Autistic Spectrum, Person Centred Care, Dignity in Care, Duty of Care, Safeguarding Adults and many more.

A trainer from FRT says: “The adult social care workforce is full of dedicated, compassionate workers who do their best for the people they support each and every day.

“However, the system is under significant pressure and it is very important that lessons are learned and improvements made to ensure that all individuals receive the person-centred, compassionate and dignified care that they deserve.”

For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Children with SEND disproportionately affected by pandemic

A new report from Ofsted has revealed that children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Children with SEND disproportionately affected during covidThe report contains the findings of joint visits made to local areas by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) during the autumn term of 2020 and the spring term of 2021.

It states that long-standing issues and weaknesses in the system of care for children and young people with SEND have been exacerbated by the disruption of the pandemic.

Children and families ‘out of sight’

It says that children and families have suffered as a result of missed or narrowed education, the withdrawal of essential services such as physiotherapy or speech and language support, and long waiting times for assessment and treatment.

Ofsted inspectors reported that, by Spring 2021, families were often exhausted and despairing when they were still unable to access essential services for their children.

The pandemic and resulting national lockdowns have placed children with SEND ‘out of sight’ of services and led to a worsening situation within the SEND system.

The report cites:

  • Weaknesses in universal education, health and care services which have resulted in children and young people not learning essential skills and knowledge and then mistakenly being identified as having SEND
  • Significant inconsistencies in how SEND are identified
  • A lack of joined-up commissioning and joint working across education, health and care services
  • A lack of clarity between organisations about who is responsible and accountable within local area SEND systems

Experiences for children with SEND vary

Children with SEND out of sight of services during pandemicOfsted found that the experiences of children and families were partly determined by the quality of their relationships with practitioners, as well as the strength of partnership working in their local area.

They were also impacted by the extent to which the local area had implemented the government’s 2014 SEND reforms.

The report states that it is vital that all education settings are ambitious for every child and young person with SEND and that all individuals receive a good quality curriculum and teaching. This was particularly highlighted in relation to the teaching of language and early reading skills.

Improvements for the SEND system

The report contains several recommendations for improvement within the SEND system. These include:

  • More accessible universal services for children and their families, delivered by practitioners with a strong understanding of how to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND
  • More accurate identification when children need targeted or specialist support and higher aspirations for children and young people with SEND
  • A greater sense of joint responsibility between partners in a local area, clearer accountability for different organisations within local systems, and greater coordination of universal, target and specialist local services so children get the right support at the right time

Ofsted have been working with the CQC to develop a new inspection framework which is aimed at driving further improvements in the SEND system and better supporting children and young people at what is described as a “critical moment.”

HM Chief Inspector of Schools, Amanda Spielman, commented on the report’s findings:

“Many local area leaders and practitioners have gone above and beyond to support children and young people with SEND and their families during this challenging time.

“However, our report shows that children and young people were not always getting the education and care they needed, even before the pandemic.

“As the damaging effects of the pandemic on children and young people with SEND become clear, so too does the need to ensure that we are all playing our role in supporting them. We will work closely with CQC to develop a new framework to support improvement in the way education, health and care services work together to get the best possible outcomes for children.”

Improve awareness and support

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care, safeguarding and more.

They work with a large number of early years and childcare providers, as well as schools, colleges, and children’s services.

They can provide training in SEND Awareness, Dyslexia Awareness, ADHD Awareness, Introduction to the Autistic Spectrum and Learning Disability Awareness among other special focus subjects.

For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Mencap report reveals Covid-19 inequalities for people with learning disabilities

A new report from Mencap has revealed the “shockingly high health inequalities” faced by people with a learning disability during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report, entitled ‘My Health, My Life: Barriers to healthcare for people with a learning disability during the pandemic’, reveals a number of failings and highlights shocking figures which show that people with a learning disability have died from Covid-19 at more than 6 times the rate of the general population.

The charity explains that people with a learning disability have always faced high health inequalities, and that the coronavirus pandemic in the UK has only made things worse.

They launched their Treat me well campaign in February 2018 to try to address the health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities and now, in their new report on the pandemic, they are calling for a number of actions to effect change.

One of the main findings in the report is that people with a learning disability were often told that they may not receive life-saving treatment during the pandemic.

In fact, a learning disability nurse surveyed by Mencap during the summer of 2020 told the charity that Do Not Resuscitate orders (DNACPRs) were:

“constantly being put in place for people with a learning disability and often inappropriately […] [We} challenge them daily but still these are happening.”

The other main findings in the report include:

  • Some hospitals failed to provide adequate care, while at the same time, government guidance on hospital visitors meant that critical support was removed from people in need
  • Access to learning disability nurses was reduced and some acute learning disability nurses were redeployed to other units
  • Many people left hospital too quickly as a result of inappropriate discharge and this led to some emergency readmissions soon afterwards
  • Remote consultations, held over the phone or via video call, were not suitable for many people with a learning disability

Mencap are continuing their Treat me well campaign to try to transform how the NHS treats people with a learning disability and are calling for specific areas of change:

Clearer guidance: The charity says that there needs to be healthcare guidance during Covid-19 that specifically addresses the needs of people with a learning disability. This should be part of the initial release of any guidance rather than delayed, and ambulance guidance must also be clear that carers and advocates can accompany people with a learning disability to hospital. Furthermore, Mencap wants DNACPRs to be reviewed and removed from the records of patients who did not provide informed consent, or for whom proper decision making did not take place.

Reasonable adjustments: The government and national health bodies should share clear guidance about reasonable adjustments for people with a learning disability and should use specific COVID examples to demonstrate to hospitals how they can make reasonable adjustments, even in a time of crisis.

Remote consultations: There are equality issues with consultations that take place over the telephone or video call. An urgent review into these issues is required and must focus on people with a learning disability, as well as other vulnerable groups who may be excluded from accessing healthcare services, such as elderly people.

Learning from deaths: Mencap have asserted that any inquiry into the handling of the pandemic must look in detail at why so many people with a learning disability died, so that lessons can be learned and mistakes are not repeated.

Training: Mencap want training prioritised for all healthcare staff to ensure they are confident in providing flexible, personalised care for people with a learning disability.

Vaccination: They are calling for people with a learning disability, who have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19, to now be prioritised for vaccination.

The charity has also provided advice for anyone with a learning disability – or anyone supporting someone who has a learning disability – to help ensure the care they receive during the pandemic is as safe as possible.

They recommend asking your doctor about the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as possible to provide protection against the virus, checking your medical records for DNACPRs, and requesting an annual health check and a flu jab. They also advise people to ask for any reasonable adjustments that can be made to improve their healthcare experience and outcomes, and are urging people to sign up to fight for healthcare equality in their local areas through the Treat me well campaign.

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider. They deliver a wide and diverse range of training courses in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

They work with a large number of health and social care providers, including a number of learning disability care and support organisations who are members of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG).

They can deliver training in topics such as Disability Equality Awareness, Dignity in Care, Duty of Care, Effective Communication, Person Centred Care and Safeguarding Adults.

They also have a number of more specialist courses related to supporting adults with a learning disability. These include ADHD Awareness, Autism Spectrum Awareness, Dyslexia Awareness, Learning Disability Awareness, SEND Awareness, SEND and Barriers to Learning in Further Education, Understanding and Supporting Adults with Autism and Working with Adults with Autism.

A trainer from FRT says: “Covid-19 has devastated many lives, and we know that the elderly or those with an underlying health condition are most at risk, however, adults with a learning disability are at greater risk due to existing health inequalities which have simply been exacerbated by the pandemic.

“This is not something we should simply accept or ignore and we wholeheartedly support Mencap’s campaign to address these health inequalities and ensure better outcomes for adults with a learning disability.”

For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.