We are pleased to share that colleagues can now access the full suite of resources within our Learning Disability Nursing CPD Award. Alongside a foundation module that provides core learning, the training now includes modules relating to specialist inpatient settings, community, forensic and intensive support settings, as well as primary and acute care liaison.

The resources have arrived at the perfect time as we mark Learning Disability Week 2023, and supporting this, the new sessions cover topics including person-centred care, formulation, and care planning, which aim to ensure that a person’s wishes, needs and strengths are at the heart of their care plans. The training also supports you to include the person and their family as equal partners in the development of their care and support plans.

Understanding each individual that you care for and their formulation history is key to providing effective support. The additional training sessions can help you to acknowledge a person’s journey into care, particularly when it is specialist care; and support you to understand the nature and development of a person’s condition, including the psychological, biological and systemic factors.

The online training programme is open to anybody with an interest in learning disability nursing. It includes a foundation module that can also be used as refresher training for core knowledge and can help to decrease variances in practice between services. It also provides an opportunity for people from other nursing backgrounds to gain knowledge of the fundamental aspects of learning disability nursing.

This fantastic step forward is part of work to advance a dedicated career structure for learning disability nursing. The training supports the delivery of the All England Plan for Nursing Disability Nursing, and aims to support those thinking about a career in learning disability nursing, as well as those in training and those currently working as a learning disability nurse.

The programme forms a Qualification in Specialism (QiS) to provide a standardised pathway for nurses to develop in their specialist area, and is mapped to the Core Capabilities Framework for Supporting People with a Learning Disability.

The curriculum is also mapped to:

• Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) Code of Conduct to support revalidation
• NHS England Learning Disability Improvement Standards
• NHS England Long Term Plan
• HEE Competency Standards for Learning Disability and Autism

To find out more and to access the training, please visit the Learning Disability Nursing CPD Award programme page.