Alison Tingle examines whether learning disability nursing students find the jobs they want

From the publication of the Briggs Report (HMSO 1972) until the early 1990s, a question mark existed over the viability and relevance of learning disability nursing. However, following a ‘consensus conference’ (Department of Health 1993) on the future of learning disability, nursing reports have noted the strengths of this branch of nursing. In 1995, for example, the Department of Health produced a report from the Learning Disability Nursing Project (Kay et al 1995), which indicated that the role of learning disability nurses had undergone a change, primarily one of bringing about the transformation of services for people with learning disabilities. In addition, Martel (1999) reported that the position of learning disability nursing had been strengthened by the response of health and social service professional to government demands for changes in the delivery of care. More specifically, he stated that learning disability nurses’ ability to work effectively with social services, and to operate at the cutting edge of user involvement, demonstrated the importance of a separate registration.