23/09/2025
On Monday, our members delivered the first Learning Disability Awareness Training session of the 2025/26 academic year to Year 4 student doctors at the University of Liverpool
The session was led by our fantastic trainers Adam, Lewis, Kyle, and Racheal, alongside Hilary Harper, Learning Disability Healthcare Facilitator at Mersey Care , and Katrina Skinner, a student nurse on placement with the Learning Disability Team at Mersey Care. The programme was supported and coordinated by Dr Fiona Greeley, MBChB Year 3 Assessment Lead, Theme Lead for Disability and Care in the Community, Community Clinical Teacher, and Senior Clinical Lecturer.
Our trainers are highly skilled at bringing this training to life. One of the most valuable parts for the students is the breakout sessions, where they get to know each of our members and share what they’ve learned about each of our trainers with the wider group. This activity highlights the common ground we share and showcases the wide range of skills, talents, and life experiences that people with a learning disability bring. Importantly, it also helps future doctors understand that sometimes we may say “yes” without fully understanding a question, and shows them simple ways they can check our understanding and make us feel included.
We also share with the students some of the stark facts about the health inequalities faced by people with a learning disability:
- Women with a learning disability are likely to die 26 years earlier than women without a learning disability.
- People with a learning disability are twice as likely to die from a preventable cause.
-Around 90% of people with a learning disability have a communication disability, making health experiences more challenging—and in some cases, leading to death.
This is why our members deliver this training. It is essential that every new cohort of student doctors hears our message so that, as qualified professionals, they better understand learning disability and can play their part in tackling these inequalities.
A huge well done to Adam, Lewis, Kyle, and Racheal—your voices are making a real difference
