Death of autistic teenager after parents wishes ignored prompts mandatory training for NHS staff

Health secretary Matt Hancock has ordered reviews for 2,250 people who have a learning disability and are in hospital

Every NHS and social care worker in England will have to undergo mandatory training on autism and learning disability following the death of a teenager, the government has said.

Eighteen-year-old Oliver McGowan, who had autism, died in November 2016 after being given anti-psychotic medication against his own and his parents’ wishes by staff at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital, part of the North Bristol NHS Trust.

Oliver’s medical records showed he had an intolerance to anti-psychotic drugs and shortly after he was given the dose he developed severe brain swelling and died.

His parents Paula and Tom McGowan have been campaigning for improved training for health and care staff and ministers have now backed their calls with new pilots and £1.4m of funding.

The new training will be named after Oliver and will start next year, with the aim to improve care for people with autism and learning disabilities using case studies and ensuring all staff understand the needs of patients with learning disabilities and autism.

Paula McGowan said: “My son, Oliver, died an avoidable death contributed to by what we believe to be staff not understanding his autism and mild learning disabilities. It was obvious during his inquest that medics had no understanding of his additional needs and how to make even the most basic of reasonable adjustments. As a consequence, I launched a parliamentary petition asking for all doctors and nurses to receive mandatory training in autism and learning disability awareness.

“We have never had mandatory training like this before and I believe this is a very important first step in addressing the inequalities of health care and premature deaths in people who have autism and learning disabilities.”

The announcement comes after a major report last week by the UK’s Joint Committee on Human Rights which described the care of many children with learning disabilities as “horrific”, claiming the system was inflicting “terrible suffering” on patients and families.

The Department of Health and Social Care is hoping the new training, which will be rolled out nationwide after the pilots, will help close the health inequality gap for patients with learning disability and autism, who are four times more likely to die before the age of 75 than other members of the public.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has also committed to reviewing the care of all 2,250 people with a learning disability who are in hospital within the next 12 months.

A new independent panel, chaired by Baroness Sheila Hollins, a professor of psychiatry and learning disability, will be established to oversee the care of children who are in segregation and to try and get them discharged sooner.

The panel will include a range of experts who will monitor, challenge and advise on the progress of case reviews of those in the most restrictive settings. The panel will expect hospitals and providers to draw up clear plans towards a discharge date or an explanation for making progress.

The changes follow a damning report by the care watchdog the Care Quality Commission earlier this year that found many patient in segregation were suffering poor care.