LEARNING DISABILITY PRACTICEApril 2009 | Volume 12 | Number 316
Feature
Box 2 Learning Disability Practice readers:
who are they?
25 per cent of respondents did not work in a
multidisciplinary team.
31 per cent said staffing levels were `poor' or
`dangerously low'.
34 per cent said `extra resources' would benefit
them most over the next five years.
80 per cent were full-time.
57 per cent were the main breadwinners in their
household.
Case study: Claire Roberts
Claire Roberts was invited two years ago to give a pep talk to a group of
learning disability students, because they were worried they would not find
jobs. She explains: `They were panicking and I tried to reassure them. I told
them the jobs are out there, but they might have to look a bit harder than
other nurses.'
Ms Roberts, a staff nurse for learning disabilities at Christopher's Children's
Hospice in Guildford, Surrey, is fizzing with enthusiasm about her work, but
she understands why the students were nervous. `When I finished university
I was one of four students in the learning disability branch. They were the last
four because that university has stopped the branch completely now. A lot of
other places have scrapped it too. It means that the field doesn't get the same
promotion as other areas of nursing.'
Because patients with learning disabilities are present in all health settings,
learning disability nurses have skills that other nurses from other specialties
could learn from, she argues. `If we have a child who refuses to take
medication we have to use our skills in communicating and negotiating.'
Staff levels at her own workplace are good, but she acknowledges that this
is not the case in many learning disability care settings. `There are just not
enough of us to fill demand.'
Ms Roberts is bullish about the future of the profession, despite her concerns.
`I do not think I have met a single nurse who does not want to make a
difference to patients. There have been tough times, especially in the
learning disability field, but it is a vital job. If I can get a child to smile for the
first time ever it can be so rewarding.'
PCT says the statistics reflect feelings that learning
disability nursing has been undervalued in higher
education. `Universities are not providing the
training � the course has been phased out in a lot
of places.'
Social care
The survey showed that two thirds of Learning
Disability Practice readers spent most of their time
in clinical practice. ms Cooper believes this is
because many are working in social care: `Some
are in management roles and others are doing
social care assessments and advisory work. a lot
of learning disability nurses are swamped with risk
assessments and other paperwork � that takes you
away from clinical practice.'
Learning Disability Practice readers earn less on
average than readers from other specialities. about
18 per cent of the 116 nurses who responded to
the survey were in band seven, compared with
the 22 per cent average among nurses from other
specialities, and nearly 7 per cent were in band eight
compared with the 9.5 per in all specialties.
Seven Learning Disability Practice readers had a
master's level qualification and one had a doctorate,
but the sample size is too small to make any
conclusions about how well educated the workforce
is compared with other specialties. readers were
asked what change to education would most benefit
students. `more practical experience' and `better links
with universities' emerged, though one respondent
longed for `a cheaper coffee machine'.
half of Learning Disability Practice respondents
said that `making a difference to people's lives' was
the thing they most valued about their job. about
one quarter said `the variety of the work'.
CharlesMilligan
`Learning disability doesn't get
the same promotion as other
areas of nursing'

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