NHS England and Skills for Care has launched The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism eLearning.

It provides the health and social care workforce with the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate, and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the government’s preferred and recommended training for health and social care staff.

The training is named after Oliver McGowan. Oliver was a young man whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better skills, knowledge and understanding of the needs for autistic people and people with a learning disability.

NHSE are recommending that all staff complete the e-learning training now so all staff working across CQC registered services and within health and social care receive the right level of training.  When the face to face element of the training is introduced a refresher of the e-learning training will be incorporated

The Oliver McGowan training is a national mandatory training. This requirement is set out in the Health and Care Act 2022.