1. 29th January 2019
Birmingham
Transforming
Perceptions
of Learning
Disability Nursing
#NursingNowEngland #WeLDNs

2. The purpose of this report
What we are trying to achieve:
• Collecting inputs and outputs from the day
• Making a record of what happened on the day
and the energy in the room
• Documenting the wealth of information and
experience that the attendees bring
We are not trying to do:
• Making verbatim notes
• Analysing or prioritising ideas
• Developing a decision document or
action plan
Report compiled by Leigh Kendall and Xiaozhe Cai, NHS Horizons

3. Paul Vaughan, Director of Nursing at NHS England:
#NursingNowEngland #WeLDNs
We’re celebrating the amazing work in learning disability nursing today, and developing
work that we will pull together in one space under the Nursing Now England banner.
We need to look at how we recruit more people in to LD nursing, and how we make sure
LD nursing has the profile it deserves. We need to make sure people with LD are not
marginalised: that they are equal partners in shaping their care when they need it.
How many people know there is a branch of nursing for learning disabilities? We need to
ignite the passion in current workforce; to inspire young people to choose a career in
nursing.
We have to change the messages about nursing in the media.
We need to think about how we influence policy makers and the politicians to think
differently about nursing. We need nursing to be on the table from the beginning – on the
front foot. The challenge is often that ‘nurses don’t understand how to make policy’ – and
we need to show that’s not true
We need everyone’s help to shape the narrative.
There is so much work that has already been done - we need to think about why it isn’t
getting the traction that it needs - and how do we get a stronger voice?
The background: Professor Jane Cummings launched Transforming Perceptions of Nursing and Midwifery in March 2018 –
engaging people through social media, and workshops. It’s now Nursing Now England (launched December 2018) and Transforming
Perceptions of Midwifery (launched January 2019). It’s predicted that by 2030 there will be a shortage of 9 million nurses globally.
Other workstreams include men in nursing; BME, addressing racism in the NHS; and mental health nursing. We’re all part of
#teamCNO!

4. In the room are people who aren’t
learning disabilities nurses - these
are critical friends, and who are
there to help you – embrace them!
Helen Bevan set the context for the day
It’s a day of deep thinking, and helping
people realise how brilliant learning
disabilities nursing is.

5. Ethos for the day
This is not your usual conference or
workshop, it is a specially designed
process which enables a depth and
quality of output that would usually be
unachievable in such a short
timeframe...we’ll do three months’ worth
of work today.

7. #NursingNowEngland #WeLDNs
On your table, each person should tell their learning disability nursing story to others through the three cards

8. There is growing awareness of the role of learning disabilities
nurses, thanks in large part to the advocacy work of parents.
The opportunities outweigh the challenges.
We need to network more. This gives us strength and
encouragement – unity.

11. The big ideas!

12. Watch the video

13. Working on the
Five Whys

14. Working on the
Five Whys

15. The Completed Five Whys

16. The Completed Five Whys

17. • There is a lack of understanding of the role
of LD nurses and of people with a LD
• “No evolution without revolution!”
• LD nurses are disabled by association,
invisible. There is a fear of the role and of
the patients.
• Offer the hand of collaboration.
• LD nurses are seen as not clever enough –
by association
• We are evolving – the revolution isn’t
happening.
• Midwives have been practitioners in their
own right for ages.
• Used to be regulated by Royal College of
Psychiatrists
• Lack of LD leadership in corridors of power
• If not now, when? We want to be more, not
have more.
Helen Laverty and Alice
Waddington reflected on
the Five Whys

19. Creating the collages

20. The Completed Collages

21. The Completed Collages

22. ‘Now’ ‘Future’
Word Clouds based on the Completed Collages

23. #NursingNowEngland #WeLDNs

24. Crowdsourcing our
Unconference Topics

25. The Unconference

26. The Unconference

27. Unconference Posters

28. Unconference Posters

29. Unconference Posters

30. Unconference Posters

32. We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel – it’s about connecting people
and joining up the dots. We’ve drawn up an action plan that will feed
in to what’s done today. We’re also sharing this card.
We need to change the narrative of learning disabilities. “If you build
it they will come” – like the field of dreams.
We know what brought us to learning disabilities nursing, we know
what keeps us in learning disabilities nursing, - we need to attract
others – we need to build that field of dreams.
Closing words
from
Helen Laverty

33. #NursingNowEngland #WeLDNs
LD nursing is unique and special.
People say they haven’t got the power –
but they do!
We need to think how we get our
thinking to 25%
Find your superconnectors! The most
influential are usually not senior people.
You have so much potential!
Now is the time to take the power.

34. Closing remarks from Paul Vaughan
There are lots of ways to get involved: become a nurse ambassador; take part in
the monthly challenges.
There are no nurse leaders with huge followers on social media – it’s always
doctors! We need to change this.
2019 marks 100 years of LD nursing – we need to think about how we link up
with that.
2020 is the year of the nurse. We need to ensure LD nursing has a big voice as
part of that.
We can help support you to get the messages out!
We will make it happen together.

35. https://twitter.com/Shaun_LDNurse/status/1
090166849843748865

36. Twitter stats