Celebrating Learning Disability Nursing Careers

Today (01 November) is Learning Disability Nurses Day; a day to reflect and celebrate the vital and life-changing difference learning disability nurses make to people's lives, and to inspire future nurses! 

In Coventry and Warwickshire, the majority of learning disability nurses can be found at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT). 175 registered learning disability nurses make a difference every day across the organisation, in the community, and in partnership with other services and providers. 

It is estimated that 2.5% of our population have a learning disability which equates to 1.5 million adults and children across England. There are only 17,000 registered learning disability nurses on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register with just over 3,000 working in the NHS in England (NHS Digital, June 2024). 

CWPT are incredibly proud to have such a diverse range of learning disability nurses within the Trust. It is a career filled with development and opportunities to make a meaningful and lasting difference. 

What do learning disability nurses do? 

Learning disability nurses work to provide specialist healthcare and support to people with a learning disability, as well as their families and staff teams, to help them live a fulfilling life. 

Nurses are clinically skilled and help to ensure the voices of people with a learning disability are heard and listened to, playing a vital role in reducing health inequalities for this vulnerable group.

“Learning disability nursing requires you to work deeply with someone in all aspects of their wellbeing. You have to look after someone’s physical and mental health, as well as supporting them with their learning disability.” 

“We receive phone calls sometimes from patients who have been in our care, and they remember us. That's really nice, and it is those little things that make you realise that for that person, are not so little.” 
– Jose Ferin, learning disability nurse, CWPT 

Learning disability nurses at CWPT 

CWPT provide a variety of learning disability services ranging from community, inpatient, and respite services. This means there are a wide range of roles that learning disability nurses hold. 

These include but are not limited to: 

• Community learning disability nurses for children and adults working to improve health, and address both physical and mental health inequalities.
• Acute liaison and health facilitation nurses working in acute hospitals and with primary care services to ensure smooth pathways through physical health services, ensuring reasonable adjustments are made, the mental capacity act is adhered to, and staff are educated around the needs of people with a learning disability.
• Specialist health respite and day services where nurses work with individuals with a range of complex physical health conditions as well as mental health and behavioural needs.
• Intensive support teams with nurses working alongside the community teams and transforming care teams to support individuals with complex behavioural and mental health needs to prevent hospital admissions and work with those returning to their community following discharge from inpatient beds.
• The FACCT (Forensic Assessment Consultation Training team) supporting individuals at risk of being involved with the criminal justice system or currently involved i.e., have been arrested, on bail, on remand, have suspended sentences or about to be discharged from secure hospital or prison back to the community.
• A specialist epilepsy nurse working to educate staff and working with complex cases.
• Inpatient nurses working with children and adults often subject to the mental health act in specialist assessment and treatment service or low and medium secure services.
• Specialist neurodiversity roles, in our autism and ADHD services
• Nurses working as commissioners in the transforming care services with people at risk of hospital admission or about to be discharged from hospital back to the community.

The Trust also have learning disability nurses in senior leadership roles, such as matrons, heads of nursing, associate director of nursing, assistant director of nursing and the current CEO, Mel Coombes MBE, is a learning disability nurse. 

“I am incredibly proud to be a learning disability nurse, today and every day. I would like to sincerely thank all the incredible nurses at CWPT who make a difference, as well as recognise how important it is to grow the learning disability nursing workforce, within CWPT and the NHS. It is vital to ensuring people with a learning disability have access to equitable healthcare that supports their needs and wants now and in the future.” 
-    Mel Coombes MBE, Chief Executive CWPT

How to become a learning disability nurse 

The main route to becoming a learning disability nurse is through a degree course at university. The entry requirements will vary based on where and how candidates would like to study, so it's important to check with universities. Typically, applicants will need a minimum of 5 GCSEs at a grade 4/C level, along with three A levels or equivalent qualifications.

Coventry University offers a BSc and MSc in learning disability nursing and has been awarded 1st for student satisfaction in the West Midlands in Nursing and Midwifery by The Complete University Guide. 

Local to Brooklands Hospital in Solihull, Birmingham City University is home to one of the largest nursing schools in the country and offers an excellent course in learning disability nursing. 

Those who are eligible will receive at least £6,000 a year towards their studies while at university through the NHS Learning Support Fund. This includes a special subject payment of £1,000, and personal circumstances may mean people could receive more. The good news is this doesn’t have to be paid back.