In 1995, Rampton Hospital was designated as the national centre for people with learning disabilities requiring secure care. Since then, the nursing research unit at Rampton Hospital has examined quality of care and patient satisfaction with some of this client group (Fisher 1994, Robinson 1996, Robinson and Reed 1996). This article reports the findings of an exploratory study to measure the quality of life for people with learning disabilities based on a study carried out at the Elwyn Community Learning Disability Unit in the United States