New analysis from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) released today reveals a huge collapse in the number of learning disability nurses training to work in England’s health and care services – with the regional picture revealing large swathes of the country where shockingly few learning disability nurses will enter the workforce in the years to come.
As thousands of RCN members gather in Newport, Wales at the College’s annual Congress, RCN analysis of UCAS data reveals a 36% drop in acceptances to learning disability nursing courses between 2015 and 2023 - while only 2% of all nursing course acceptances were for learning disability courses in 2023.
The picture is even more shocking on a regional level. In the South West, there were only 10 acceptances to learning disability nursing courses in 2023, with a similar picture in the South East (5 acceptances) and the East of England (10 acceptances). The RCN says this will leave a shocking dearth of support for people with a learning disability in large areas of the country.
The RCN’s analysis also reveals a staggering drop of 44% in the number of learning disability nurses in the NHS in England since records began in 2009.
Learning disability nurses are qualified nurses who provide specialist health care and support to people with a learning disability – a group who can face serious health inequalities and die on average around 20 years younger than people in the general population. Learning disability nurses are often crucial in ensuring people with a learning disability get the support they need to live healthier and more independent lives.
The RCN says this is evidence that people with a learning disability are being ‘forgotten’ and is urging parties during the election to prioritise investing in learning disability nursing.
RCN Professional Lead for Learning Disability Nursing Jonathan Beebee said:
“These figures are highly alarming. For decades the number of learning disability nurses has been decreasing – and now we’re seeing large sections of the country where there is the future prospect of no specialist nurse support for miles and miles. It is damning of the way people with a learning disability are being forgotten.
“The number of learning disability nurses has lowered to unacceptable levels - and we are even hearing about universities closing their courses. This dearth of support for one of society’s most marginalised groups is appalling.
“This must be a priority for any new government as we enter an election. People with a learning disability deserve skilled support - and the role of learning disability nurses is crucial to achieving this.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
The UCAS data included in this release is a bespoke data set from UCAS that is not publicly available. The figures included are for acceptances to pre-registration nursing degrees and does not include CPD or conversion courses.
The figures from UCAS show:
- In 2023, 405 applicants were accepted into pre-registration learning disability nursing courses, representing a 26% decrease compared to the previous year. Compared to 2015, this marks a 36% decrease in acceptances, dropping from 630 to 405.
- The number of acceptances in learning disability nursing remains consistently low, often by a significant margin. In 2023, only 2% of all nursing course acceptances were for pre-registration learning disability courses.
- In the South West, there were only 10 acceptances to learning disability nursing courses in 2023. This is a similar picture in the South East (5 acceptances) and the East of England (10 acceptances). The figures included here are rounded to the nearest five by UCAS, so these numbers are not exact.
- London, the North West, and West Midlands generally have higher acceptance numbers. In 2023, there were 85 acceptances in universities located in London, 90 acceptances in universities located in the North West, and 75 acceptances in universities located in the West Midlands.
NHS Digital data shows between September 2009 (when NHS Digital records began) and January 2024 (when the latest data is available), the number of learning disability nurses employed by the NHS has decreased by 44%, from 5,553 to 3,095.
