Learning disability
Over 1.2 million people in England have a learning disability and face significant health inequalities compared with the rest of the population.
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Education and skills development
Our education and skills development opportunities focus on the ways health and care staff can better support people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Education and Training
Skills and competency frameworks set out what staff need to know and what they need to be able to do in their role to support people with learning disability, autism or both. This includes the general skills needed by staff working with people with learning disability, autism or both and some more specific skills such as positive behaviour support and autism training.
Core Capabilities Framework for Supporting People with a Learning Disability
This framework supports people with a learning disability and is relevant to those in working in any sector and all staff working across health and social care.
Access the Core Capabilities Framework for Supporting People with a Learning Disability
Generic service interventions pathway
What staff need to know to support people with a learning disability, by describing person-centred interventions.
Download the Generic service interventions pathway.
Competency framework for community forensic services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism
What staff need to know to support people with a learning disability, autism or both in the community who have or are at risk of offending behaviours.
Download the Competency framework for community forensic services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism report.
Learning disability transition pathway competency framework
What staff need to know to support people with learning disability, autism or both and the transition from children and young people services to adult services.
Download the Learning disability transition pathway competency framework.
Liaison and Diversion Service Career and Competence Framework
Liaison and Diversion is a process whereby people of all ages with mental health problems, a learning disability, substance misuse problems and other vulnerabilities are identified and assessed as early as possible as they pass through the youth justice and criminal justice systems. It is available for employers of mental health and learning disability workforces.
A useful resource for staff and their managers, commissioners and education and training providers, the framework helps to describe the Liaison and Diversion service offer, and includes the skills and knowledge required by the workforce at various Career Framework levels, as well as the education and training required to progress within the service.
The framework is available to access as a downloadable pdf from the Skills for Health website.
Physical Health Competency Framework for Mental Health and Learning Disability Settings
Our interim Physical Health Competency Framework for Mental Health and Learning Disability Settings has now been published.
This framework incorporates elements of the knowledge and skills needed for registered clinical staff working in mental healthcare and/or learning disability settings to be able to meet the physical health needs of service users with serious mental illness and/or service users with a learning disability. HEE continues to evaluate the framework and will publish the final version later this year. If you have any questions regarding this framework email: mentalhealth@hee.nhs.uk.
This framework does not supersede previous policies or protocols, enhances existing procedures, can be used to aid recruiting or in a team discussion to improve awareness and training, is designed to be accessed and used by all in a mental health capacity.
Training Programme to meet the Medical Needs of Adults with Learning Disabilities - now live for applicants
A new training programme has been made available for senior health care professionals who care for people with a learning disability, including:
- General Practitioners (GPs) or GP registrars (ST3)
- Psychiatrists or psychiatry registrars (ST5-6)
- General medicine consultants or registrars (ST5-7)
- Registered Nurses - Band 6 or 7 upwards (depending on the role)
- Allied Health Professionals - - Band 6 or 7 upwards (depending on the role)
Funded by Health Education England and created by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Edge Hill University, the training is designed to help services meet the medical needs of adults with a learning disability and enable practitioners to provide high-quality and person-centred care.
The training programme involves experts by experience and consists of two modules. Those who take part in the course are expected to complete both modules, which will result in a postgraduate certificate. The second of the two modules are under development but will be available in the autumn of 2023.
For more information on the course content and other details, visit the course webpage or email credential@rcp.ac.uk.
Online learning or e-learning is learning and training that can be done through a computer or other devices such as iPads and phones. The online learning can be ‘stand-alone’ or with face to face training. Some of the resources are shown below.
- MindEd Stopping over medication of people with a learning disability and autistic people elearning
- We have worked with partners to develop an educational video outlining the steps oral health teams can can take to provide a positive experience people with a learning disability when visiting the dentist. You can also find out more on the British Dental Association website.
- Skills for Health e-learning
We have resources to help everyone involved in educating healthcare staff and in developing staff skills. They can help staff, service commissioners, service providers, employers, education providers, families and carers to develop education and training courses, roles and services.
All healthcare staff should understand how to make reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities and autism. The link below takes you to a series of good practice guides.
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is a person-centred approach to provide long term support to people with a learning disability, autism or both who have, or may be at risk of developing, behaviours that challenge. This includes children, young people and adults.
Watch the Positive Behavioural Support: It happens for a reason! video.
It is important for family carers and staff across health, social care and education to be trained and supported to deliver PBS effectively.
We work in partnership with experts to develop tools and resources that promote PBS education and training.
PBS key messages sets out the aims and principles of how PBS is delivered and provides guidance to people, families and organisations.
Positive behaviour support organisational and workforce development framework what all staff need to know to deliver PBS effectively.
Our partner organisations Skills for Care, Skills for Health, the PBS Academy, the Challenging Behaviour Foundation and BILDs Centre for the Advancement of PBS all offer tools and resources for PBS education training and delivery.