Learning Disability and Autism Training “Has Much to Do” a Year After Oliver McGowan Code
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said that progress on mandatory learning disability and autism training is uneven, one year after the publication of the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice. Some providers are showing innovation, but others are not meeting the requirement at all.
The Code sets out how the regulator expects registered health and care providers to meet the training requirement. It also tells autistic people, people with a learning disability and their families what they can expect from the services that support them.
Regulator builds capacity
In a review published on 14 September 2026, CQC said it has continued to equip its staff with the resources, skills and understanding needed to regulate the requirement effectively. It is also making sure its registration teams consider the issue when assessing applications from new providers, a step it said would support an “effective and consistent” approach at the start of a provider’s relationship with the regulator.
CQC cannot endorse specific training programmes. It said, however, that the number of providers taking up the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training offers a useful indication of wider engagement with the requirement. That data shows uptake varies across the country, and many larger organisations, NHS trusts and primary care providers still have significant work to do to ensure their staff are trained.
Examples of good practice
The regulator highlighted a number of positive examples, including providers that have tailored training to the type of service they run. Some have added individualised chapters to staff programmes, offering more detailed dedicated sessions and key information about the specific people staff will support.
In health services, CQC said providers have used the Code to develop bespoke training that meets the regulatory requirement and keeps people safe, while also reflecting the particular environments in which care and treatment are delivered.
“Endangers outcomes and wellbeing”
CQC was also clear that not all providers are seeking or delivering appropriate training, despite the requirement being a legal one. It said this puts at risk the outcomes and wellbeing of autistic people and people with a learning disability who use those services.
The regulator pointed to the Learning from Lives and Deaths – people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) report, published in July 2026, to underline the stakes. Using 2024 data, the report found that among adults with a learning disability who had a LeDeR review, 39.0% of deaths were from causes classified as avoidable. The figure for the general adult population was 21.1%.
That means around two in five reviewed deaths of adults with a learning disability were from avoidable causes, a proportion nearly double that seen in the general adult population.
CQC said experiences and outcomes are better when autistic people and people with a learning disability receive care and treatment from a trained and skilled workforce, which it said underlines why the requirement for staff to be trained matters.
Who is affected?
The requirement applies to all services delivering a CQC-regulated activity, which means residential and nursing care homes fall within its scope alongside NHS and independent health providers.
Further detail on the regulator’s approach is available in its guidance, Training staff to support autistic people and people with a learning disability, on the CQC website at cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/training-staff-support-autistic-people-and-people-learning-disability.
