New short films aim to promote learning disability nursing
The charity DanceSyndrome, which offers inclusive dance workshops, has partnered with NHS England to produce a series of short films promoting a career in learning disability nursing.
NHS England commissioned the Lancashire-based charity to create films showing that people with learning disabilities can live fulfilled lives when given the right support, and how rewarding it can be to work as a learning disability nurse.
“We truly value the role of learning disability nurses and the significant impact that they can have through their career”
Julie Nicholson
The seven short films include interviews with DanceSyndrome member Jodie Turner and her parents in which they discuss the important role that learning disability nurses play in her life.
The other films include interviews with learning disability nurses and nursing students.
They cover topics such as a day in the life of a children’s community learning disability nurse, training to become a learning disability nurse and the skills needed be a good learning disability nurse.
DanceSyndrome managing director Julie Nicholson said that when NHS England asked the charity to partner on this project, it was really excited to get involved.
“One of the most important parts of our mission is to change the way that people think about people with learning disabilities and what they can achieve with the right support,” she said.
“We know how important it is to get that support right in all aspects of a person’s life, so we truly value the role of learning disability nurses and the significant impact that they can have through their career.”
Ellie Gordon, senior nurse for learning disability and mental health in the national workforce, training and education directorate at NHS England, said: “I do hope these films will support people with learning disabilities by inspiring people to think about a career working with people with learning disabilities and highlight why it is so important that we create a truly inclusive society.”
The film series is being released during National Inclusion Week which runs from 23-29 September and which is dedicated to celebrating inclusion and taking action to create inclusive workplaces.
The urgent need for more people to choose a career in learning disability nursing was highlighted at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress in Newport earlier this year.
Katy Welsh, chair of the RCN learning disability nursing forum, warned that learning disability nursing was “facing a cliff edge”.
RCN analysis showed a 44% decline in the number of learning disability nurses in the NHS in England between September 2009 and January 2024, from 5,553 to 3,095.
Only 405 new student learning disability nurses were accepted onto pre-registration courses in England in 2023, representing a 26% decrease on the previous year, found the college.
