A Legacy of Love: The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism
By Paula McGowan OBE
When my beloved son Oliver was born, like any mother, I dreamed of a full, meaningful life for him. A life filled with promise, happiness, and dignity. Oliver was a vibrant, cheeky, and sporty young man with a wicked sense of humour. He also happened to be autistic and had a mild learning disability. These were just parts of who he was, not defining limitations, but facets of his beautiful personality.
Tragically, Oliver died in 2016 in an NHS hospital after a series of avoidable failings. Despite being a fit and healthy 18-year-old, he was inappropriately medicated with antipsychotics against our repeated objections, and he was not listened to. Oliver’s death was not just a devastating personal loss, it was a national wake-up call.
Out of the darkest moment of my life was born a campaign that I never imagined I’d be leading: Oliver’s Campaign, calling for mandatory training for health and social care staff in learning disability and autism, developed and delivered in partnership with people who have lived experience.
After tireless campaigning, public support, and cross-party backing, I was deeply proud when The Health and Care Act 2022 made the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training law in England. For the first time, there is a legal duty for health and social care staff to receive training in understanding the needs of autistic people and those with learning disabilities—training that reflects the real voices of the community it serves.
What Makes Oliver’s Training Different?
This isn’t just another tick-box exercise. Oliver’s Training is co-produced with, and delivered by, autistic people and individuals with learning disabilities alongside health and care professionals. Their voices are central. Their lived experiences are treated not as anecdotes, but as expertise.
There are two tiers to the training:
Tier 1 provides a general awareness suitable for all health and social care staff.
Tier 2 is for those with more direct contact, such as nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, and care workers.
Over 2.5 million staff have now completed Tier 1, including NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard and the Board of Directors. It is changing hearts and minds, one person at a time. It’s ensuring Oliver’s name is forever associated with dignity, respect, and better care, not the failings that led to his death.
This Is More Than Training
This is culture change. It is a statement that every person, regardless of their disability or neurodivergence, deserves to be understood, listened to, and treated as an equal. It is about making healthcare safe and accessible for people like Oliver.
Families often tell me, “We just want our loved ones to be treated as human beings.” That’s the heart of this work. It’s simple, really—but it takes training, reflection, and commitment to get it right.
What’s Next?
I continue to work with NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, and local systems across the country to embed this training fully. But I also have a vision beyond health and social care. I want to see Oliver’s Training—or something like it—delivered across the education system, emergency services, and wider public services. Because understanding neurodiversity shouldn’t be optional; it should be fundamental.
A Personal Note
Nothing will ever bring Oliver back. But through this training, his voice echoes in every classroom, ward, and care home that learns to listen a little better, to pause before prescribing, to treat with respect. That is his legacy.
And so, to every autistic person and person with a learning disability reading this: we see you. We value you. And we are fighting alongside you to make this world better.
Oliver used to say, “Trust me, I’m clever.” He was right. And through this training, his cleverness, his courage, and his love continue to light the way.
