Nursing (Learning Disabilities)

You’ll be introduced to the fundamental knowledge, skills and principles of the nursing profession and yourself as a student of nursing, to prepare you for your initial experiences in practice.

You’ll be introduced to nursing practice within contemporary health care settings, including simulated practice.

Apply the knowledge and skills you’ve learnt so far in planned, supervised and assessed placements with guided participation in care to increase your confidence and competence.

You’ll engage in supported reflective conversations throughout your practical experiences and have placement inductions which will cover policies and protocols relevant to the practice area and work within ethical and legal frameworks.

You’ll be given a foundation of psychosocial theories and concepts enabling you to explore the complex interactions, how they influence health and wellbeing outcomes of individuals, communities and populations across the lifespan.

Develop knowledge of the social determinants of health and factors that influence this such as age, gender, disability, culture, education, sexual orientation, poverty and employment.

Explore causes and effects of inequalities on health and social care for diverse groups such as minority ethnic communities, vulnerable children and adults and ageing populations, which will help you to understand the role of the nurse as an advocate and political agent for equality, diversity and inclusion.

You’ll understand how psychological theories and factors can influence the way people perceive health and wellbeing and adjust to, cope with, and recover from illness, including lifespan development, cognitive processes and lifestyle behaviour.

You’ll apply psychological concepts to health promotion and education as well as prevention and treatment of disease and illness to support self-management, recovery and end of life care.

Develop the fundamental communication and relationship skills required to deliver safe, effective and non-discriminatory person-centred and holistic care to people across the lifespan, carers, and families within a range of different healthcare environments.

Deepen your knowledge of the principles, policies and models of person-centred and holistic care that support collaborative working with reference to promoting informed choice, shared decision-making, patient participation and autonomy.

Understand the communication and relationship skills required to engage children, young people and adults from diverse backgrounds in person-centred and holistic care assessment, planning and evaluation.

You’ll explore theories and models of communication and therapeutic relationships, enabling you to develop your interpersonal and interprofessional communication skills through self-reflection and awareness of emotional resilience, self-care needs and your own unconscious bias.

Build upon your experience of nursing practice within contemporary health care settings including simulated practice.

Apply the knowledge and skills you’ve learnt so far in planned, supervised and assessed placements with guided participation in care to increase your confidence and competence.

You’ll engage in supported reflective conversations throughout your practical experiences and have placement inductions which will cover policies and protocols relevant to the practice area and work within ethical and legal frameworks.

Develop the leadership skills required to become a role model for best practice in coordinating and delivering effective and safe learning disabilities nursing care and the advanced practice skills to provide initial management of a person that becomes acutely ill.

Further develop your nursing practice through leadership and coordination within contemporary healthcare settings and simulated practice education.

You’ll apply advanced knowledge and skills within planned, supervised, and assessed placements, practising with increasing independence and confidence, supported by structured reflective conversations.

Placement learning is underpinned by induction to local policies, protocols, and digital systems relevant to the practice area. Practice experience is guided by the MYEPAD e‑portfolio and aligned to the NMC Future Nurse Standards, supporting achievement of required proficiencies and professional values set out in The Code (NMC, 2018).

You’ll be expected to demonstrate consistently high standards of professional conduct while working within ethical and legal frameworks throughout your placements.

Placement 1a - 4 weeks digitally enabled practice experience comprising of 150 hours

Placement 1b - 6 weeks in a relevant health care setting comprising of 225 hours

Placement 1c - 1-week Simulated Practice Education experience comprising 25 hours

Placements 1a and 1c will be supported by service users and carer direct involvement, clinical scenarios using standardised patients, manikin patient simulators and immersive digital technologies.

Develop the knowledge and skills required to deliver and manage safe, effective, and holistic person‑centred care for individuals of all ages with learning disabilities and complex health needs, alongside support for their carers and families.

You’ll explore the impact of co‑morbid physical and mental health conditions, social determinants of health, and health inequalities, with a focus on health promotion, prevention, and reasonable adjustments.

The module considers the complexities of care provision across a wide range of specialist services, including community, education, social care, and criminal justice settings, with particular attention to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

You’ll develop understanding of safe transitions of care, interdisciplinary working, quality improvement, and contemporary policy initiatives that shape learning disability services.

Emphasis is placed on advocacy, safeguarding, evidence‑based therapeutic interventions, Positive Behaviour Support, and the development of collaborative therapeutic relationships to improve quality of life and promote inclusion.

Transition from student to registered nurse, enabling reflection on personal and professional development needs and preparation for preceptorship. Critically reflect on your journey through the programme, developing confidence as a values‑based and autonomous practitioner grounded in legal, ethical, and professional frameworks.

The module emphasises strategies for managing uncertainty, resilience, self‑care, and recognising burnout in self and others during role transition.

You’ll explore leadership, supervision, and coaching skills required to support student learning in practice, alongside equality and professional responsibilities. Quality improvement, service evaluation, resource management, and preparation for employment as a newly registered nurse are also addressed to support safe, effective transition into practice.

Further develop your nursing practice through leadership and coordination within contemporary healthcare settings and simulated practice education.

You’ll apply advanced knowledge and skills within planned, supervised, and assessed placements, practising with increasing independence and confidence, supported by structured reflective conversations.

Placement learning is underpinned by induction to local policies, protocols, and digital systems relevant to the practice area. Practice experience is guided by the MYEPAD e‑portfolio and aligned to the NMC Future Nurse Standards, supporting achievement of required proficiencies and professional values set out in The Code (NMC, 2018).

You’ll be expected to demonstrate consistently high standards of professional conduct while working within ethical and legal frameworks throughout your placements.

Placement 1a - 10 weeks in a relevant health care setting comprising of 375 hours

Placement 1b - 1-week Simulated Practice Education experience comprising 25 hours

Placement 1b will be supported by service users and carer direct involvement, clinical scenarios using standardised patients, manikin patient simulators and immersive digital technologies.