England’s domestic supply of learning disability nurses projected to end by 2028

England could run out of its domestic supply of learning disability nurses by 2028 unless ‘drastic action’ is taken, Nursing in Practice understands.

Key figures from across the learning disability charity, education and trade union sectors have warned that the country could soon run out of its domestic supply of learning disability nurses, despite rising demand for their services from patients, residents and families.

High level sources, who wish to remain anonymous, say NHS England (NHSE) have given 2028 as the point by which England’s domestic supply of learning disability nurses could cease to exist.

At the same time, universities are experiencing dropping numbers, with many having to close their courses altogether, with others at risk of having to do the same.

This comes despite a pledge from within the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published in 2023, to increase the number of learning disability nursing training places by 46% in England by 2028/29.

An updated Workforce Plan, with a focus on public health, is expected for later this summer.

Senior sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Nursing in Practice that NHSE has been warning about the end of the supply of domestic learning disability nurses.

One senior source told Nursing in Practice: ‘In talks I have attended, NHSE have projected that we will have no domestic supply of learning disability nurses in England by 2028 if current trends of low applications and closing courses continue.’

A second source said: ‘We’re just not able to keep up with the demands, after 2028 there will not be a homegrown LDN workforce in the UK.’

Meanwhile, a third source confirmed the 2028 date and said government efforts to increase the learning disability nurse workforce England were not working.

‘Clearly those steps have been inadequate and it’s not stabilising,’ they said.

No more learning disability nursing courses in the South East

The warnings come as the University of Winchester recently announced that it would be closing its learning disability nursing course, meaning there are now no learning disability nursing courses on offer in the South East of England.

A Winchester nursing lecturer, who has asked to remain anonymous, explained that the Winchester LD course has historically appealed to those with a connection to the learning-disabled population, such as via a family member.

They explained how, given this, the numbers on leaning disability nursing courses are often ‘very different’ to those on other nursing courses.

The lecturer told Nursing in Practice that since launching in 2019, the University of Winchester BN (Hons) Nursing (Learning Disabilities) degree course had no more than 15 students on at a time.

Last year, only four students took the course.

‘We’re just not keeping up with the demand. There will soon not be a homegrown learning disability nurse workforce in the UK.

‘We’re going to see more deaths, and for me, that in turn is a form of slow eugenics,’ they said.

Workforce disconnect

Professional lead in learning disabilities at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Jonathan BeeBee, told Nursing in Practice that learning disability nursing is ‘often misunderstood’ and that more work is needed to encourage students into the profession.

Mr BeeBee told Nursing in Practice that more closures could follow and warned that the East of England was ‘very close behind’ the South East and said the South West could soon see its remaining learning disability nursing courses close too.

‘What that shows is there is a real disconnect between what the workforce needs and what the universities offer,’ Mr BeeBee said.

Mr BeeBee acknowledged that the Open University does offer learning disability nursing courses in these regions, but stressed the importance of ‘brick wall’ courses to provide specialist training for the future nursing workforce.

According to the RCN, between 2015 and 2023 the East of England saw an 89% fall in the number of students starting learning disability nursing courses.

The South West and North East also experienced declines at 67% and 65% respectively.

Learning disability nurse deserts

Late last year, the RCN warned that parts of England risk becoming ‘learning disability nurse deserts’, with falling student numbers and courses closing.

For the whole of England, the union found a 36% fall in the number of acceptances onto learning disability courses in the past eight years.

RCN analysis also found that the number of learning disability nurses employed in the NHS in England had fallen by 43% between May 2010 to July 2024.

The impact of the nursing bursary

Mr BeeBee believes the Conservative Government’s decision to scrap the nursing bursary in England in 2016 is a major reason why so many learning disability nursing courses are struggling to remain open and bring in students.

‘If the universities haven’t got students applying and paying their fees, it’s not financially viable for them to offer the course anymore,’ he said.

‘It doesn’t matter if the NHS needs that workforce.’

Mr BeeBee speculated that the situation in the South East could soon ‘ripple across’ the rest of the country.

‘I’m concerned that unless drastic action is taken this will spread quickly across all of England,’ he warned.

A charity’s perspective

Head of policy and public affairs at Mencap, Dan Scorer, welcomed the recent publishing of a new code of practice for training health and social care providers caring for those with a learning disability or autism, but warned this does not replace the need for a specialist nursing workforce as well.

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The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is hoped to tackle health inequalities faced by people with a learning disability and autistic people, who face poorer health outcomes than general population.

But Mr Scorer warned: ‘This training doesn’t replace the need for learning disability nurses who are there to offer their expertise or work with colleagues to develop plans for admission, to develop plans for reasonable adjustments that might be needed, or to advise on legislation like the Mental Capacity Act which we know is poorly understood by the majority of clinicians.’

NHSE did not directly respond to Nursing in Practice’s request for confirmation of its concerns around the domestic supply of learning disability nurses ceasing to exist by 2028.

Professor Mark Radford, deputy chief nursing officer for England and national director of education at NHS England, said: ‘NHS England continues to support learning disability nursing and ensure that people have access to high quality care and expertise – and we are working to encourage more people into the profession.’

Speaking at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry last September, England’s former chief nursing officer, Ruth May, said the removal of the bursary for student nurses was a ‘catastrophic decision’ that had a long-term impact on the nursing workforce and Covid-19 pandemic.