Parts of England risk becoming ‘learning disability nurse deserts’ - RCN warns

Ministers urged to incorporate a new vision into the refreshed NHS workforce strategy to address the growing learning disability nursing crisis

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called on the UK government to invest in and reimagine learning disability nursing, as its analysis reveals parts of England risk becoming “learning disability nurse deserts,” with student numbers collapsing across all regions and courses closing at an alarming rate.

Over the past eight years, the number of acceptances onto learning disability nursing courses in England has dropped by 36 per cent, according to the RCN analysis.

In 2024, not a single university in the South East offered the degree.

Additionally, the number of learning disability nurses employed in the NHS in England has nearly halved since May 2010, as of July 2024.

The RCN has warned that this crisis could leave vulnerable people without access to vital care.

It noted that reforms to nursing education, including the removal of the nursing bursary and universal maintenance support for undergraduates, have particularly impacted learning disability nursing, a specialty that depends heavily on mature students.

Mature students accounted for three-quarters of all course acceptances in 2023, yet acceptance numbers have fallen by a third since 2015.

The RCN is urging ministers to incorporate a new vision for learning disability nursing into the refreshed NHS workforce strategy, which must include “support for regional action to address severe workforce crises.”

Furthermore, it stresses the importance of introducing a loan forgiveness model for nurses committed to delivering the specialty in public services and reinstating universal maintenance grants to provide financial support for students.

RCN chief nursing officer Lynn Woolsey highlighted that learning disability nursing is “an incredibly rewarding career, supporting some of the most vulnerable to live happier and healthier lives.”

However, she acknowledged that the specialty has suffered years of neglect and underinvestment, causing recruitment to collapse and decimating workforce numbers.

“Transforming the care for people with learning disabilities couldn’t be more urgent. That starts with investing in the workforce that delivers their care. This means fair pay, funding nursing education, and loan forgiveness as key fundamental policies to recruit and retain more nurses,” she added.

Jackie O’ Sullivan, executive director of strategy and influence at learning disability charity Mencap, echoed these concerns, highlighting that access to a learning disability nurse can be life-saving.

She pointed out that 42 per cent of deaths among people with learning disabilities in 2022 were avoidable, mainly because of difficulties accessing care and treatment.

“These specialist nurses help people get the care they need, both in hospitals and in the community, and vitally make sure that someone’s learning disability isn’t used as a reason for them to be refused treatment or – in some cases – resuscitation,” O’Sullivan said.

She called on the NHS England 10-year plan to tackle the workforce issue, which currently results in a postcode lottery for accessing a learning disability nurse.

“It should commit to increasing recruitment of these skilled roles,” she added.

Lord Darzi’s report on the NHS in England also raised alarm over the sharp decline in learning disability nurses and underscored the need to investigate the wide disparity in life expectancy for people with learning disabilities.

The government’s recent proposal for a 2.8 per cent pay uplift for NHS nursing staff has drawn criticism from the RCN, which argues that “this offer will further deter people joining the profession and becoming learning disability nurses.”