Leaders from across the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System have come together to affirm their commitment to improving care for people with learning disabilities or autism, leading the way where they are among the first members of the ICS to take part in a full day of training, jointly led by people with learning disabilities or autism.
The commitment being shown by health and care leaders and partners across Surrey supports the government’s pledge that will see all health and social care staff undertaking new mandatory training to improve knowledge, awareness and care for people with learning disabilities or autism, ensuring lessons are learnt from the death of Oliver McGowan.
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is named after Oliver McGowan, whose death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to receive better training.
Surrey Heartlands is thought to be one of the first areas launching a series of full day training sessions, initially aimed at members of executive teams and other system leaders, to ensure the commitment, learning and change, starts at the very top.
The aim of the training is to save lives by ensuring the health and social care workforce have the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. The training is being delivered by the Care Talent Collective (a pioneering collaboration of seven care providers working together to deliver joint workforce development and training programmes) in partnership with trainers with learning disabilities or autism, who share their lived experience.
The first sessions took place on 24th September and 2nd October and brought together leaders from across the system including chief executives, chairs and executive directors from local NHS organisations, executive team members from Surrey County Council, voluntary, community and social enterprise leaders, a local MP and other local partners – who were all united in their commitment to listening, learning and understanding how we can improve care for people with learning disabilities and autism – and to making change happen.
Recognising the firm commitment Surrey Heartlands has made to implementing the training at pace and its innovative approach, the session began with a personal video message. In the clip, Oliver’s mother, Paula McGowan O.B.E says:
“The partnership between health, social care and the voluntary sector, driven by the Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Academy, has been instrumental in the success of Oliver’s training in Surrey. Together, we are paving the way for a brighter and more inclusive future.”
Michael Pantlin, Chief People and Digital Officer for Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System explains:
“The training has been incredible, with leaders representing over 50,000 staff fully engaged and deeply inspired by the powerful insights shared, particularly from those with lived experience. What we’ve heard has an unforgettable impact, and I’m confident it will spark meaningful change. Leaders will take these messages back to their teams, ensuring the training reaches every level of the organisation, with a strong top-down commitment to improving care for autistic people and those with learning disabilities.”
Liz Williams, System Convener for Learning Disability and Autism:
“It’s been inspiring to see senior leaders engage with Oliver McGowan’s story and reflect on how they can implement best practices in their organisations. I’m excited to witness the tangible changes that will emerge as a result of this training, driving better decision-making and care for people with learning disabilities and autism.”
Commenting on the experience, Graham Wareham, Chief Executive of Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said:
“We learned about the devastating life expectancy gap for people with learning disabilities and autism. While initiatives like annual health checks are already making a difference, more can be done. Simple, reasonable adjustments—such as offering more time in appointments, using easy-to-understand language, and tailoring communication to individual needs—are practical steps we can take every day. These small changes, alongside ensuring regular screenings and health checks, are crucial to addressing health inequalities and improving the quality of care for these individuals.”
Fadzai Tande, Director of Disabilities at Surrey County Council commented:
“This training, centred on Oliver McGowan’s story, powerfully highlighted the need for joint improvement and collaboration. By working together, we can improve care and wellbeing for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, significantly enhancing their experiences across health and social care.”
Joss Bigmore, Chair of the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust:
“Today’s session has been incredibly powerful. It’s changed how I view my past interactions and will influence my decisions going forward. The key takeaway is simple but profound: ask what a person needs, listen to their voice, and take meaningful action to create environments where people with learning disabilities and autism can thrive.”
Maria Mills, Chief Executive of Active Prospects added:
“We’re delighted at Active Prospects to be leading the Care Talent Collective’s delivery of Oliver McGowan training in Surrey. I attended the training and it’s clear to me that it is going to be transformational in improving health and social care staff’s understanding of autism and learning disabilities. I love that the training is co-delivered by people with lived experience, and that they are paid fairly for their time. The whole programme is a fitting legacy for Oliver and the tireless campaigning of his mother Paula.”
With a third training session taking place next week (8th October) altogether over 70 leaders and senior staff will have been trained. This comes ahead of the wider roll out to over 45,000 health and social care staff across Surrey Heartlands over the coming months.
