Could new career pathways kick-start learning disability nursing?

Declines in the number of learning disability nursing courses and students on them means it is vital to find new ways of attracting more people to the specialty

• Hopes that the centenary of learning disability nursing would herald fresh recruitment in the sector remain unfulfilled
• Negative headlines about services, especially mistreatment of residents, have made it harder to recruit to inpatient settings
• It is hoped a learning disability nursing career framework – building on work done by HEE, QNI and others – will help attract students

For learning disability nurses, 2019 was a year of celebration as the sector marked its