Learning disability nursing ‘in crisis’ as workforce collapses by a third

Urgent action must be taken to protect the future of learning disability nursing, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned, as new analysis shows the UK workforce has dropped by a third (33%).

A new report by the union, which analysed NHS workforce statistics as well as its own learning disability nursing workforce summit, revealed that the number of learning disability nurses in the UK has fallen from 7,083 in 2009 to 4,768 in 2025/2026.

It also showed that those choosing to study the specialism collapsed to fewer than 500 students in 2025.

The number of learning disability nursing students accepted onto pre-registration courses across the UK was 490, down 40% from 810 in 2015.

The RCN has demanded immediate action from health leaders to address the decline, including better recognition for the role, alongside stabilising and safeguarding the education pipeline.

The union believes ‘poor understanding’ of the specialty is ‘limiting’ recruitment, progression, commissioning, and appropriate deployment of expertise.

In the report, titled Safety, Equity and Expertise: A UK Review of Learning Disability Nursing, authors stress that the decline in learning disability nurses has been ‘steeper’ than in other nursing fields.

The college says this means vulnerable people ‘are receiving a level of care which often fails to adequately take into account their needs’.

The RCN highlighted how learning disability nurses are ‘vital’ in developing in-depth knowledge of individuals over time, which allows practitioners to ‘maintain health, prevent deterioration and reduce avoidable hospital admissions of their patients’.

The college added that learning disability nurses are ‘critical’ to ensuring people with learning disabilities aren’t ‘excluded, overlooked or harmed’ due to standard health and care services not being able to meet their needs.

As well as concerns about the workforce declining, the college has spotlighted issues around learning disability nurses feeling ‘devalued’.

In the RCN’s recent survey of over 13,000 nursing staff working across the UK, it found testimonies from learning disability nurses saying they felt ‘devalued and their patients were being failed’.

One nurse described how working in a small learning disability service in a rural area was extremely challenging due to a lack of understanding of their patients’ needs by senior management.

The college has made 10 recommendations in its report, including better recognition of the profession within workforce and service planning, and protecting it as ‘safety-critical’.

The RCN argues there is a ‘lack of understanding’ from health and care services about the scale or distribution of registered nurses in learning disability care, and that workforce planning ‘must stop these roles being substituted’ and support the growth of this specialist field.

RCN chief nursing officer Professor Lynn Woolsey said the learning disability nursing workforce is ‘vital but is in crisis’.

‘The expertise of learning disability nurses has been poorly understood, inconsistently recognised, and insufficiently protected within health and care systems,’ she said.

‘Their contribution is repeatedly undermined and ignored in wider workforce planning and service delivery.

‘This must change if we are to close the current inequity in care suffered by some of society’s most vulnerable people.’

She stressed that people with learning disabilities ‘deserve better’.

‘Learning disability nursing must be recognised by health leaders as the safety-critical profession it is, and workforce planning must reflect their value and importance to individuals across society,’ added Ms Woolsey.

RCN professional lead for learning disability nursing Jonathan Beebee added: ‘The findings of this review must be a warning that we cannot continue this path where learning disability nursing is consistently undermined.

‘It’s a profession that is central to the safety, equity and human rights of people with learning disabilities.

‘Yet the learning disability nurse workforce is in absolute crisis, with workforce numbers falling while university student numbers also collapse.

‘Their skills are too vital for this to be allowed to continue.’