Having taken a little time to reflect and discuss the issues with forum colleagues, we wanted to acknowledge Christine Smith's issues and welcome the interest this letter caused. (See page six of the April issue of RCN Bulletin).
The Learning Disability Nursing Forum identified the significant health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities growing up in the UK in the 21st century and what was then the reduction in learning disability nurses being employed in the health service in the RCN position statement on the role of the learning disability nurse, Learning From the Past, Setting Out the Future (PDF 142KB) [www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/359359/003871.pdf].
We are pleased to advise that this document prompted the four countries’ health departments to review their position of the profession. There was recognition that a modernisation programme was required to consider where and how learning disability nurses practice now, how nurse training ought to adapt, how it should be delivered and what plans there are in place to develop leadership in the profession. This was published as Strengthening the Commitment this time last year and is available at www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00391946.pdf (PDF 436 KB).
Since then the forum has worked hard to sustain both the profile of learning disability nursing through the award-winning film premiered at Congress 2012 available at http://www.rcn.org.uk/development/communities/rcn_forum_communities/learning_disabilities and encouraging the health boards of the four countries to develop their work plans for implementation of the recommendations outlined in Strengthening the Commitment.
We appreciate Christine's isolation and the absence of adverts for work in traditional places, however as we have learnt from the response, there is a growing online community on Facebook and Twitter, along with more established email networks. These would be a great place for Christine, and people like her, to begin connecting with other learning disability nurses.
There are also many other opportunities for learning disability nurses to forge forward in their careers, to reflect on their work and to get involved in the implementation of Strengthening the Commitment, not least with the RCN forum steering committees being open for application again now until the beginning of May. We would encourage learning disability nurses to make a submission for this or other forums.