Learning disability nursing council hopes to ‘protect future’ of the profession

A new Learning Disability Nursing Shared Decision-Making Council has been launched to support recruitment, retention and career development for nurses in Kent.

The initiative at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust hopes to give learning disability nurses a ‘stronger, more connected professional voice’.

The new council comes amid a decline in learning disability nurses nationally, alongside a lack of university training routes in the South East.

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Those at the trust said the move hoped to help ‘protect the future’ of the profession and boost workforce opportunities across the system by bringing together learning disability nurses from across Kent and Medway to discuss key issues facing the profession.

It has been described as a ‘structured forum for collaboration’ across organisations, enabling nurses to contribute directly to workforce planning, service development and improvement activity across the system.

Acting chief nurse at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust Julie Kirby highlighted the ‘significantly poorer health outcomes’ experienced by people with a learning disability.

‘As a system, we are committed to improving these outcomes by ensuring people can access the right care, at the right time, from appropriately trained professionals,’ she said.

The trust explained how the initiative had followed engagement work with learning disability nurses across Kent and Medway, which highlighted the importance of strengthening workforce support, improving professional development opportunities and ensuring long-term sustainability of the specialist workforce.

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‘We have listened to our learning disability nurses and worked with them to shape this response. Their expertise is essential in helping us improve services and reduce inequalities,’ added Ms Kirby.

‘This council represents an important step forward in ensuring learning disability nurses are directly involved in decision-making and workforce planning across our region.’

George Matuska, learning disability nurse and autism lead at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, said: ‘This council creates a stronger, more connected professional voice across Kent and Medway.

‘It will enable nurses to share expertise, influence service development and help improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities.

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‘By working together across organisations, we can build more consistent support for patients and strengthen opportunities for the workforce.’

To mark International Nurses Day last month the trust launched a wider nursing council, aimed at strengthening the voice of its 1,262 nurses across Kent and Medway.