From 1 July 2022, all health and social care providers registered with CQC must ensure that their staff receive training in how to interact appropriately with people who have a learning disability and autistic people, at a level appropriate to their role. This new legal requirement is introduced by the Health and Care Act 2022.
The government is also required to consult on and publish a Code of Practice, which would outline the content, delivery and ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training, which it has developed. We anticipate that the government will take at least 12 months to publish the Code of Practice.
CQC will provide statutory guidance until the Code of Practice is published. During our assessments and inspections of providers, we regularly look to see if staff are working with people appropriately, and if not, we consider what training and support has been provided to staff to ensure their understanding. Following the introduction of this requirement, we will be looking to see whether staff have received such training and whether providers have assessed the competencies of their staff following training. We will not be looking at what the training itself has involved.
Debbie Ivanova, Director for People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People, said:
"We welcome this important step taken by the government. By ensuring that staff in all services receive training appropriate to their role – whether in an acute hospital, dentist practice, GP surgery, or a place where people live – they will be able to further develop the skills to make sure that people with a learning disability and autistic people receive the right care."
We have updated our statutory guidance to reflect these changes and will continue to engage with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).