In 2016, a young man, Oliver McGowan, died after a severe reaction to medication. Oliver was 18 at the time and had mild cerebral palsy, partial seizures, and a mild learning disability. He also had high functioning autism. The medication caused his brain to swell severely and he died in intensive care. Oliver and his family had told medical staff that he had reacted badly to antipsychotic medication in the past. During the same hear, the Oliver Campaign was born led by Oliver's mother, Paula McGowan OBE, who believes that all health and social care staff need appropriate and meaningful training to help them to understand people who have a learning disability and autistic people.

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Oliver's death highlighted the need for better training and awareness of health and social care providers and as a result the  Oliver McGowan Training on learning disabilities and autism was created. This is NHS England’s preferred training course for meeting the requirements of the Health and Care Act 2022 (HCA) for “Mandatory Training on Learning Disabilities and Autism for all registered nurses and other healthcare professionals”. 

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As part of this effort, The School for Nursing and Midwifery at BNU led by Dr. Barry Hill has been commissioned from NHS England to pilot the Oliver McGowan Training with its nursing and midwifery students. Ultimately, the pilot aims to test whether the statutory requirement of the HCA can best be served, and health inequality is more effectively addressed, if the mandatory training is introduced as part of the training curriculum at the pre-registration stage for all those aspiring to deliver healthcare services through the NHS and service providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

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Project Partners

Buckinghamshire Health and Social Care Academy, Bucks New University and NHS England

 

The Hypothesis and the project

I have been asked to lead on a research project that will measure the impact of the training. In particular, there is a need to understand the impact of the training at pre-registration stage and the implications that this has on:

 

a)    prospective nurses and other healthcare professionals

b)    future employers, educators

c)    NHS England and other relevant stakeholders. 

 

Our tested hypothesis is: The integration of the Oliver McGowan Training into Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) approved pre-qualifying Curricula can better serve the aims of the Health and Care Act 2022, and help address health inequalities. 

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The project will report in September 2025 and involves a multi-disciplinary, mix-methods primary research with students and staff at BNU, registered nurses and midwifes, potential training providers and employers. This page gives access to the various surveys and associated documents that form part of the project. 

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To achieve the project's objectives we need your help. For your time, you will be entered into a draw to receive an annual free subscription to the Internet Journal of Restorative Justice. We believe that together we can make a real difference in addressing health inequalities for a group that has long been neglected. Thank you.

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Prof. Theo Gavrielides, Ph.D