People with learning disabilities may end up “shut off from society” in institutions because of a recruitment crisis in learning disability nursing.
That’s the view of Dame Professor Donna Kinnair of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
Call for urgent investment: Dame Professor Donna Kinnair, RCN director of nursing, says it‘s vital to recruit more trainee learning disability nurses
Kinnair, who is the RCN’s nursing director, warned the crisis harms some of society’s “most vulnerable”.
40 per cent drop
The RCN wants urgent investment to attract more learning disability nursing applicants as figures show a 40 per cent drop since 2010.
A lack of students could also exacerbate existing staffing problems. Nearly half of the higher education institutions in England have discussed ending learning disability nursing programmes this September, a survey found.
£9,000 a year in fees
Last August the government withdrew bursaries for student nurses. It leaves them having to pay £9,000 a year in fees.
Since then the number of applicants to learning disability nursing degree courses has fallen.
Kinnair said without specialist nurses more patients may end up in institutions. These patients would be “away from their families and friends and shut off from society”, she said.
£10,000 golden hellos for learning disability nursing
In May, the UK government announced £10,000 golden hellos to postgraduate learning disability students.
And Health Education England (HEE), which oversees NHS staff development, has promised to train 200 nursing associates. These nursing associates will spend at least half their time working in learning disability.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it is considering an accelerated post-graduate programme to help improve nursing recruitment.
‘Record numbers in the NHS’
The spokesperson added that there are now “record numbers working in the NHS” and workforce investment continues “to be a top priority” .
Lisa Bayliss Pratt is chief nurse at HEE. She said the organisation held a series of regional events to give the nursing community and education providers a voice.
Pratt said the feedback will shape “new models” of learning disability care.
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Published: 10 September 2018
