LEARNING DISABILITY PRACTICE April 2009 | Volume 12 | Number 3 17
Feature
What do you think the future holds for learning disability nursing?
Write to Colin Parish, the editor, at The Heights, 59-65 Lowlands Road,
Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex HA1 3AW or email colin.parish@rcnpublishing.co.uk
What's your view?
Case study: Simon Jones
ms Cooper says: `I can see why the variety was
so highly valued. No two people with learning
disabilities are ever the same.'
only one Learning Disability Practice respondent
was an independent prescriber. ms Cooper says
that many nurses do prescribe medicines, but they
usually do so under patient group directions, which
are adequate for their needs.
Lack of staff
Understaffing emerged as a significant problem,
with 30 per cent saying this represented the greatest
pressure in learning disability nursing. more than
one fifth opted for `lack of resources', higher than all
other nursing groups, except those in mental health.
ms Norman says: `Nurses are increasingly seeing
people with multiple, complex needs. They need
hi-tech treatment and equipment but they are not
always getting them.'
other problems identified by respondents
included a lack of public and professional
understanding of the role, which reflects ms
Cooper's comment about the specialty being
undervalued. `There is a need to establish a clear
identity', was a common remark, while `being
ignored' and `not being fully recognised as a nurse
by others', were also complaints. one reader said
that roles were being taken over by social work staff
and unit managers should be nurses.
The Daily Mail was the easily the most popular
newspaper read by Learning Disability Practice
subscribers, followed by The Times. one respondent
confessed to reading only `other people's newspapers'.
Three quarters of readers across the specialties
had only ever been a nurse, while the rest had
been in jobs ranging from butcher, dancer, driving
instructor, and horse trainer to hovercraft manager.
among the most common previous careers were
secretarial work, banking and teaching.
asked where they are mostly to turn to for
support, most learning disabilities nurses said
`colleagues'. Less common answers in the wider
survey included `the pub', `the priest' and `the
mother-in-law'.
RobCousins
Christian Duffin is a
freelance writer
Ditching a 20-year career in accountancy
and moving into nursing might sound an
unusual move, but it was the right thing
for Simon Jones.
`I lost my job as a chartered accountant
and it made me think about doing
something more rewarding,' says Mr
Jones, now a deputy service manager for
the community learning disabilities service
at NHS Bristol. `I did some voluntary work
with children with special needs and that
made my mind up. I'm just nosy, I like
finding out about people and what makes
them tick. And if you work with people
with learning disabilities you get exposure
to every part of the health service � every
health need.'
Mr Jones oversees the work of four
teams of learning disability professionals,
including nurses, physiotherapists and
speech and language therapists.
He has been working with GPs to boost
the number of people with learning
disabilities having annual health checks.
A challenge is to bring more people
forward for these checks.
`One of the most encouraging things
to happen in a while is that there is
a genuine desire to address health
inequalities. But in our area a lot of
people with learning disabilities live
independently or with family carers so
we'll still need to work to get them to
come for the health checks and the
follow-ups.'
Some GPs will embrace the health
check initiative � they will receive a
�100 incentive payment for each
patient � but others with only small
numbers of people with learning
disabilities on their list may not be
so enthusiastic, says Mr Jones.
He believes that the `demise of learning
disability training' is the most important
issue facing the specialty, but he remains
energetic and enthusiastic about his work.
`I think it is the best job in the world. It is
fun and interesting. I get such variety of
work in the NHS.'
`It is encouraging that there is
a genuine desire to address
health inequalities'
RobCousins

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