Learning from Oliver with training that makes a difference

Learning from our mistakes can be hard won. This is true of the story of 18 year-old Oliver McGowan, an autistic NHS patient who died in 2016.  

After his avoidable death, it was found that if staff had made simple and reasonable adjustments to his care, his life could have been saved. At Miad we now provide the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training (OMMT), proudly helping to transform care for people with learning disabilities and autism, equipping health and social care staff with the knowledge, empathy, and confidence to reduce health inequalities and save lives.

Health inequalities facing people with learning disabilities and autism

It is well-recognised that people with a learning disability experience very significant health inequalities. In fact, adults with a learning disability die nearly 20 years younger than the general population, and 38.8% of these deaths are considered ‘avoidable’ (deaths from conditions that should have been preventable or treatable) compared to 21.6% for the general population(i). Meanwhile, the one million autistic people in the UK also have poorer health outcomes than the general population . With autism referrals up by around 12%(ii) and many waiting a long time for an autism assessment, the pressing need to level out health inequalities is clear.

Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training and the shift to safer care

Significantly, Oliver McGowan’s legacy lives on. Major learnings were made following his death and lead to the OMMT requirement. The Health and Care Act 2022 now states that all regulated service providers must ensure their staff receive training on learning disability and autism which is appropriate to the person’s role. Because of the tragic death of Oliver, the OMMT is now upskilling the wider health and care workforce to provide appropriately adjusted care for people with a learning disability and autistic people, helping to reduce health inequality.

To support implementation at scale, NHS England has made Learning Disability and Autism (LD/A) training funding available through the Learning Disability and Autism Training Programme (often referred to locally as LDSS funding). This funding supports eligible providers to commission high-quality Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training and embed it sustainably across their workforce.

Training that builds empathy, confidence and person-centred care

Miad is proud to be an approved trainer for OMMT which is provided by qualified facilitators, hand-in-hand with Experts by Experience, who live with autism or another learning disability. Many employers are understandably concerned about meeting legal duties. For Miad’s trainers though what is important is the ability to train health and social care professionals in a way which leaves them with reinforced compassion for those with autism and learning difficulties. Staff don’t just gain knowledge, but confidence, empathy and understanding. These essential qualities allow staff to provide safer, more inclusive, person-centred care, leading to stronger safeguarding and ultimately, improved outcome for service users.

OMMT with Miad is far from a box-ticking exercise. Remembering Oliver, we pride ourselves on providing training that delivers a culture where everyone is listened to with respect and cared for as the individual that they are.

Miad delivers two tiers of Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training, available both virtually and face to face:

Tier 1 (virtual): Designed for staff who need general awareness, including administrative, IT, HR, estates, and management teams.

Tier 2 (face‑to‑face): A full‑day course for staff in patient‑facing roles, with a strong focus on communication, reasonable adjustments, and person‑centred support.

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