Understanding

Hi readers, it’s Emily and Kerry here, back together online to write about the Oliver McGowan training the Government made compulsory in 2022, for anyone working in regulated health and social care services.

I, Emily, don’t know all that much about it, so Kerry has explained it today. It came about after the avoidable death of Oliver McGowan, who died in hospital because he was given medication that his family told the doctors not to give him, because he had reacted badly to it before.

His family campaigned, and as a result the government agreed that there must be better training, and introduced what’s now called, the Oliver McGowan training.

There is Tier 1, which is online and then Tier 2, which is in person and a full day training, which is for anyone likely to work with people who have a learning disability or autism. I, Kerry, am a Tier 2 trainer. I am not sure how many sessions I have delivered so far, but it’s a lot. It’s usually at the hospital or at County Hall, the home of Dorset Council. Me and my colleague Chris spend the morning doing the training about people with a learning disability, while an autistic person does the afternoon training about autism.

The aim is to help professionals better understand the needs of people with a learning disability and autism, so that failures, and tragic deaths, like that of Oliver, never happen again.

My, Emily’s, first thought is why doesn’t everyone working with people who have a learning disability or autism have the training? Support workers, day providers, people helping with benefits like doing PIP assessments, or at the DWP, job centre, supported employment schemes, and so on. More to say but we’re out of room, so tune in next week to hear more!  

The writers of the Our View column are supported in their editing by People First Dorset - a charity led and run by people with learning disabilities with support from staff