South West London Training Hub
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The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is for everyone working in health and care. It has been developed from the beginning with expertise from people with a learning disability and autistic people as well as their families and carers.
Everyone working in primary care is encouraged to complete the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training e-learning package, no matter where they work or what they do. It will enable greater understanding of the experiences of people with a learning disability and autistic people. It will help you when you are communicating with and treating people who have a learning disability and autistic people.
It is named after Oliver McGowan, whose story and death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training in understanding, communicating with and treating people with a learning disability and autistic people
This is standardised training and the government’s recommended training for all health and care staff. It was developed to ensure health and care service provider employees receive training about learning disability and autism that is appropriate to their role.
What is involved in the training?
There are two parts to the training. It starts with the e-learning that everyone working in health and care can do online now. It is followed by live, interactive sessions, with people who have lived experience of learning disabilities and autism, tailored to the different professional roles that people have.
E-learning
All primary care staff can complete the e-learning online now. It is hosted on NHS England’s eLearning for Healthcare website. If you haven’t used the website before, you will need to register. There is no cost involved.
The e-learning package takes around 1.5hrs to complete. You can pause and continue at your own pace.
Save the certificate that confirms you have completed the training. You will need it to progress to the second part of the training.
Interactive sessions
The second part of the training will be a live session involving people who have lived experiences of learning disabilities and autism. These are being coordinated across south west London and will begin being offered later this year. You must have your completion certificate from the e-learning to be able to participate.
There will be different training formats depending on your professional role:
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Everyone in a patient-facing role will receive in-person, face-to-face training.
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Everyone else will participate in a live webinar online.
Most people working in primary care have patient-facing roles and will receive in-person, face-to-face training. Arrangements are currently being made to ensure the right training is available for all primary care staff from later this year. The South West London Training Hub will be working closely with practices to progress the training for all staff.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to do fulfil the training requirements?
For now, you need to do the e-learning package. It is hosted on NHS England’s eLearning for Healthcare website – register on the site if you’ve not used it before, and follow the prompts to The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism - Part 1 of 2. When you complete the e-learning, follow the prompts to download and save your certificate. You will need it to go on to part 2, which will be live, interactive training, arranged through the South West London Training Hub later this year.
Are there any dates for part 2 of the Oliver McGowans training for primary care staff yet?
The second part of the training – live, interactive sessions – is in development and are expected to be running later this year. There are no dates yet. Further instructions on how to book training sessions will be provided to practices once arrangements are finalised.
Links to more information
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Direct link to the e-learning: The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism - Part 1 of 2
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e-Learning for Healthcare Oliver McGowan training overview page: Detailed overview of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training
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NHS England Programme page: The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism
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Watch on YouTube: Oliver’s story and why Oliver's Training is so vitally important