Learning disability advanced practitioners in primary care

At the start of my career, there were ongoing discussions about the need for learning disability nurses, and these conversations have persisted over the years. Despite these debates, in the evolving landscape of primary care, the role of health professionals who cater to specific populations has become increasingly vital. Learning disability advanced practitioners stand out as indispensable assets, contrary to the longstanding perception that learning disability nurses are not ‘proper’ nurses.

The Royal College of Nursing Congress recently addressed the perception of learning disability nurses (Mitchell, 2024), highlighting the specialist skills and knowledge that enable them to provide tailored care and support to individuals with learning disabilities. Recognised as a distinct field of nursing for over 100 years, learning disability nursing has evolved into an expert healthcare profession that contributes invaluable expertise to multidisciplinary teams.

Learning disability nurses acquire a diverse range of skills and experiences, working with children and adults, their carers and families. Often the predominant factor in an individual's care is not their learning disability – a stable factor – but their fluctuating mental and physical health comorbidities. People with learning disabilities often die younger than people in the general population (White et al, 2023), highlighting the importance of annual health checks for identifying undiagnosed conditions. By mastering clinical competencies, particularly in physical health, these nurses dispel misconceptions about their role, challenging the notion that these skills alone define ‘proper’ nursing.