Consultation on the draft Oliver McGowan Code of Practice

Consultation on the draft Oliver McGowan Code of Practice: statutory learning disability and autism training

Background

In 2016 an autistic teenager with a mild learning disability, Oliver McGowan, died after being given anti-psychotic medication which his parents had asked for him not to be given due to previous reactions.

The government have now introduced The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism, which seeks to make training on learning disability and autism care available to all health and social care staff.

The code of practice

Under the Health and Care Act 2022, services registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) must train their staff on learning disability and autism at a level that is ‘appropriate to the person’s role’.

The code of practice will explain what ‘appropriate to the person’s role’ means and detail The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism.

There are four standards in the code of practice:

1. All staff will receive training on a set of minimum capabilities. Further training will depend on a person’s role requirements.
2. All staff will receive training that allows them to apply what they have learnt to practice.
3. All staff will receive a minimum level of live and interactive training that has been co-produced and co-delivered by people with a learning disability and autistic people.
4. All staff will receive evidence-based training that is continuously evaluated.

Details of how organisations can meet these standards are set out in the draft code of practice.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism

The Oliver McGowan Training package has been trialled by over 8,000 participants and is the government’s recommended curriculum for meeting the standards in the code of practice.

The package consists of two tiers:

• Tier 1: for those who require a general awareness of learning disability and autism.
  • 90-minute e-learning with a handbook.
  • 60-minute online interactive session.
    • Requires a facilitator and at least one person with a learning disability and one autistic person.

• Tier 2: for those who may need to provide care for a person with a learning disability or autistic people.
  • 90-minute e-learning with a handbook.
  • One day face-to-face training.
    • Requires a facilitator and at least one person with a learning disability and one autistic person.

The training package must be retaken every three years, or more regularly if necessary.

Only accredited providers who have undergone a quality assurance process can deliver the training. Providers must demonstrate to the CQC how they have met the standards in the code of practice.

To respond to the consultation please fill out this form: Oliver McGowan draft code of practice on statutory learning disability and autism training – Department of Health and Social Care (dhsc.gov.uk).

More information

Find out more about Oliver’s story here.

Watch the video of Oliver’s story as told by his mother, Paula McGowan OBE.

Annex C (Oliver McGowan draft code of practice on statutory learning disability and autism training – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) details the questions of the consultation.

To respond to the consultation please fill out this form: Oliver McGowan draft code of practice on statutory learning disability and autism training – Department of Health and Social Care (dhsc.gov.uk).

To access the e-learning module and find out more about the training, please visit Health Education England: The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk).

To read the draft code of practice please visit the government website: Oliver McGowan draft code of practice on statutory learning disability and autism training – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The consultation ends on 19 September. The revised code will then be presented in Parliament.