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Learning disability nurses help people of all ages with learning disabilities to maintain their health and wellbeing and to live their lives as fully and independently as possible.

Open to registered nurses working in learning disability services. This award aims to recognise those who have succeeded in raising standards of care for their patients and clients and have made an outstanding contribution to the care of service users.

A registered learning disability nurse working in a clinical role or managing clinical services within learning disability services across Scotland.

The nominee should clearly demonstrate:

• a commitment to person-centred care, innovation and delivering high quality services that make a difference to the people receiving care
• the positive impact of their work for patients, families and colleagues
• the use of a credible evidence base and/or developing an evidence base to underpin the work for which they are being nominated
• how their work contributes to the delivery of local and national policy and strategy within health and social care.
  

If you have any questions or queries regarding the awards, please get in touch by emailing scotlandnurseawards@rcn.org.uk

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Renfrewshire Learning Disability Service, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

The Assertive Outreach Model, part of the Renfrewshire Learning Disability Team, supports individuals with learning disabilities during crises, delayed discharges, and out-of-area placements. The team provides rapid, person-centered interventions, helping to sustain placements in the community, prevent hospital re-admissions, and assist individuals in transitioning back to their home areas. Despite initial challenges in staffing and establishing standard operating procedures, the team has received positive feedback from patients, families, carers, and other professionals for their impact. Their work has significantly alleviated caseload demands for their core nursing team, with notable successes in helping long-term inpatient patients sustain placements in the community. The team focuses on person-centered nursing assessments, creating care plans based on Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) principles, and providing intensive support for care providers.

Co-Chairs of the Scottish Learning Disability Lead Nurses Group

As Co-Chairs of the Scottish Learning Disability Lead Nurse Group (SLDLNG), they have significantly advanced the role of learning disability nursing in Scotland. Their leadership focuses on improving clinical practice, raising the profile of learning disability nursing, and addressing the health needs of people with learning disabilities. Despite their busy roles as Nurse Consultants, they have committed to strategic leadership, engaging with national bodies, and influencing policy and practice. Their leadership has raised awareness of the health inequalities faced by people with learning disabilities and ensured that these issues are embedded in national strategies and policies. Their efforts have positioned the SLDLNG as a respected leadership group, with a lasting impact on both the workforce and the individuals they serve.

Woodland View Hospital, NHS Ayrshire and Arran

This team provides in-patient care for individuals with learning disabilities, facing significant challenges in delivering high-quality care under complex conditions, often involving difficult behaviours and communication needs.  The team has demonstrated exceptional flexibility, creativity, and person-centered care. Participating in the Scottish Patient Safety Programme enabled the team to explore safety perspectives and test new initiatives like Behavioural Activation Therapy. Despite challenges like delayed discharges due to a lack of appropriate community services, the staff remain committed to their patients' wellbeing, as recognised by the Mental Welfare Commission during a recent inspection. The team's resilience, passion for improvement, and commitment to patient care have been pivotal in managing the ward’s high-pressure environment and ensuring consistent care.

Queen's Nursing Institute for Scotland (QNIS)

The QNIS Think COULD animation project aims to raise awareness about the need for better support for individuals with learning disabilities in the justice system. Funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, the project involved eight learning disabilities nurses from Scotland completing the Queen’s Nurse development programme and creating an evidence-based project focused on adults with learning disabilities and the justice system. The key aims of the project were to co-design and produce an outcome to reduce inequalities, develop an accessible resource for practitioners about learning disabilities and reasonable adjustments, and highlight the unique contribution learning disabilities nurses make in reducing inequalities. The project identified gaps in support for people with learning disabilities in justice services and engaged with stakeholders, including those with lived experience of justice services, to address these gaps. The team developed an animation called Think COULD, emphasising Communication, Observe, Understand, and Learning Disability, as an educational tool. The animation was designed to be accessible, educational, and inclusive, with representation from diverse perspectives. It was launched in May 2023 and has had a significant impact, being embedded in Police Scotland training resources, shared with relevant organisations, and informing policy and practice.

Community Learning Disability Senior Charge Nurse, Falkirk Learning Disability Team, NHS Forth Valley

Described by her team, in the nicest possible way, as infectious. As soon as Laura joined the Falkirk LD Integrated team she knew this was where she was meant to be. Laura’s nomination centres around a work programme she leads to support people with a learning disability to develop healthy relationships – an ability she says her patients have often been denied. With a strong and confident team behind her, she set about understanding individual needs to tailor the service and ensure it is adaptable to individual needs. She developed an eight-week programme on cyber safety and is currently working with her team and the wider multi-disciplinary team to develop support for those who experience gender based violence – working to embed trauma informed practice and improve the support offered by staff. One of Laura’s key achievements is ensuring that the team can now provide a consistent and equitable service across her locality, which she has achieved by sharing learning, upskilling colleagues and creating avenues for patients to be educated. Laura has ensured all the team’s work is rooted in strong evidence, working with sexual health nursing, local organisations who support gender based violence sufferers, and NHS Scotland to produce guidance for practitioners. Laura is keen to promote LD nursing and is working with universities to support practice placements. Her goal is to eventually go into high schools to promote LD nursing, and nursing in general, as a career choice.