Care workers pilot learning disability and autism training in Oliver's McGowan's memory

Care workers and NHS staff have taken part in early trials of learning disability and autism training to help prevent more deaths like teenager Oliver McGowan, who died in 2016 after being given antipsychotic drugs by hospital staff.

The 18-year-old was given anti-psychotic medication Olanzapine by staff, despite protests from his parents and himself telling them he shouldn't have it.

His mother Paula McGowan successfully launched a campaign to make training on treating patients with learning disabilities and autism mandatory for all health and care staff, to "change the culture", which led to her son’s death.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is designed to help health and care staff understand unconscious bias against people with learning disabilities and autism and give them better care.

Oliver’s mother says training must ‘change the culture’

Oliver’s parents Paula and Thomas McGowan believe deaths like their son’s could have been prevented if people with a learning disability, autism or both and their families and carers are asked for their opinion and concerns about treatment and listened to.

Paula McGowan, who was presented with an OBE by The Duke of Cambridge on 4 May for her campaign for better training, said: “Receiving the OBE from Prince William was an honour and a privilege.

“Prince William is wonderful and I told him it was his wonderful grandmother who signed the Royal Assent for the legislation which will make Oliver’s training mandatory.

“Hearing from clinicians who have taken part in the training was wonderful. Conversations have now opened about neurodiversity and they feel enabled to stand up and say when things are not right. We have got to work together to change the culture and hear their voices.”

Some 8,000 people have taken part in pilots for The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training and a report on the training trials will be used by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to prepare for a wider rollout of the training to all health and care staff.

Minister for Care and Mental Health Gillian Keegan hosted a roundtable with health and care staff at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London to discuss progress in the development of Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training.

'Recognition of unconscious bias'

Care minister Gillian Keegan said: “People in health and care will come across people with learning disabilities and autistic people most days. This training will give our workforce the confidence to give the right care and support to those with additional needs.

“Hearing from those who have been through the training was fantastic, and many called it life-changing."

Care workers were among the attendees who said the training tackled unconscious biases and helped them understand how to better treat patients with learning disabilities and autism. They said hearing from people with lived experiences and their family members made the training stand out compared with other training.

Earlier this year, members of the House of Lords passed an amendment to the Health and Care Bill to enshrine mandatory training for health and care staff on learning disabilities and autism in law.

Crossbench peer Baroness Sheila Hollins said:“It feels like my life’s work is finally coming to fruition.

“It was lovely to hear the recognition of unconscious bias and as people said after the training, they did not know what they did not know. I am very encouraged.”