Last week we were offered 25 spaces at short notice for Tier 2 Oliver McGowan training by Locala, which colleagues jumped at the chance to attend. 

Lead Nurse for Learning Disabilities, Amanda McKie, said: "I was blown away by the number of colleagues who requested a space. I could probably have filled them five times over!"

Matron, Rachel Shine, said: "The day gave me a deeper insight into the experience that Oliver and his family went through and how learning from Oliver's case will not only improve patient care but enhance how we communicate with and treat our colleagues too.

"The session was delivered in a very relaxed and enjoyable way. I loved the fidget toys and colouring books that we could use whilst having open discussions, learning about the historical and up to date statistics. The Autism quiz was great fun, and the whole day felt informative and the recommended reading was appreciated.

"On a personal level it's helped me identify that one of my daughters is potentially on the autism spectrum and that it runs in the family. I have taken some of the resources and guidance to look at purchasing a mood and emotion calendar which she is very excited about using.

"Thank you for arranging this session. It was a great day that I will enjoying sharing my learning from and improving my own awareness and care for our learning disability patients and colleagues."

Trainee Nursing Associate, Ellie Burland, added: "I found the session very informative and fun, I learnt a lot. I will make sure reasonable adjustments are made to ensure patients have a very positive experience in endoscopy and in my future care."

Tier 2 Oliver McGowan training is a three-year programme, so please be patient if you are unable to book a face-to-face seminar straight away. We are aware that Tier 2 (patient-facing) is currently fully booked. 

If colleagues are due to go up a pay scale for incremental progression and cannot complete their training due to lack of space, this will not affect their increment as this is nationally provided training.