Health equality for patients with autism and learning disabilities

This e-book reports on the findings of a research project that was carried out in England between January – August 2025. The research was funded by NHS England and was carried out in partnership with: Buckinghamshire Health and Social Care Academy (BHSCA), BNU and NHSE. The project was also in close contact with the Oliver’s Campaign and Paula McGowan OBE. This eBook reports on the final findings of the research project. The interim findings were published in June 2025 (Gavrielides, Ntow and Squillante, 2025).

Background & key findings

In March 2023, Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) was commissioned from NHS England (NHSE) to pilot the integration of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism (Oliver’s training) into pre-registration nursing and midwifery education. As a result, a research project resulting in this ebook was carried out to understand the implications that this had on:

• Trained BNU students as prospective nurses and midwives.
• Trained BNU staff (academic and administrative).
• BNU as a provider of Oliver’s training.

The research project constructed an overall hypothesis that it tested through a mixed method investigation. This hypothesis was: The integration of the Oliver McGowan Training into Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) approved pre-qualifying Curricula can better serve the aims of the Health and Care Act 2022, and help address health inequalities. Ultimately, the research project aimed to find out whether Oliver’s training should be integrated into pre-qualifying NMC approved Nursing and Midwifery curricula. By the end of the pilot in September 2025, 59 BNU staff and 408 BNU student nurses and midwives received Oliver’s training.

The research directly spoke to 238 individuals. To achieve its aims, the research looked beyond BNU by including the following sample groups: BNU students: 121(50.8%); BNU staff: 28(11.8%); experts or co-trainers with lived experience of autism and learning disabilities: 9(3.8%); HEIs: 8(3.4%); other training providers: 37(15.5%); lead BNU trainer: 1(0.4%); registered nurses and midwives and other healthcare providers: 23(9.7%); employers of healthcare providers: 5(2.1%); and the project management team: 6(2.5%).