Changing Hearts and Minds at NHS Confed Expo with Oliver’s Training

Last week, the NHS Confed Expo featured a pivotal session on The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. This session, part of the health inequalities improvement theatre, highlighted how ICSs are successfully rolling out this crucial training to help address the health disparities, preventable deaths, and reduced life expectancy that people with a learning disability and autistic people often face.  

 Paula McGowan OBE, Oliver’s mother, emphasised the transformative potential of Oliver’s Training in beginning the journey towards equitable health and social care. 

Sonya Gardiner, Chief Operating Officer of the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, shared their progress in implementing Oliver’s Training. Sonya highlighted the creation of inclusive and supportive employment opportunities for the co-trainer role through peer support and true co-production. Sonya praised the beginning of a cultural shift within their system, noting how simple yet effective reasonable adjustments had already been reported to enhance patient care.  

Nilesh Sanganee, Chief Medical Officer at Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICS, also spoke about their success, achieving a 30% completion rate across primary care for Tier 2 of Oliver’s training in the first six months of rollout. This success stemmed from open communication and heightened engagement efforts with training hubs, GP practice managers and primary care staff. Acute trusts in the area have also rolled out autism care packs in hospitals for both adults and children as a result of Oliver’s Training. 

The session captivated the audience, particularly through the heartfelt presentations from co-trainers with a learning disability, Richard and Tom, and autistic co-trainers, Remie and Taylor. They shared personal experiences of health and employment inequalities and expressed their motivation to create positive change.  

Richard shared his journey of overcoming reading challenges to deliver Oliver’s Training, while Tom envisioned mandatory training in learning disability and autism across all UK sectors, especially schools. Taylor spoke about how she feels like she now has a ‘purpose’. Their stories highlighted the profound impact of Oliver’s Training on their lives, boosting their social and employability skills as well as confidence. 

Together, we can work towards preventing the avoidable deaths like Oliver’s. The presentation from the NHS Confed Expo will be available online in the coming weeks.