Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review nursing training to ensure that all nursing schools provide learning disability training pathways.

Since August 2017, training pathways and places for pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health professions are not commissioned centrally. Subject to the course being approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, universities provide training courses based on student demand, local need and available capacity.

Since September 2020, the NHS Learning Support Fund has included a £1,000 annual grant to support those studying learning disability nursing courses. This is in addition to an annual training grant of £5,000 and parental allowance of £2,000. The number of acceptances to learning disability nursing courses in England has increased by 20% in 2020, compared with 2019.