• Postgraduate

Nursing (Learning Disabilities) PgDip

Overview

Overview

Why study at UWL? 
  • Number 1 in the UK for student satisfaction, student voice and academic support (National Student Survey 2022).
  • Best modern* London university (non-specialist) (Complete University Guide 2023 and The Guardian University Guide 2022).
  • In the top 10 UK universities for teaching quality (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022).

September 2024 applicants to this course will receive a one-off UWL bursary of £1,000, awarded on successful completion of the first year, plus an NHS subject specialist grant of £1,000 per academic year. This is in addition to an NHS non-means tested grant of at least £5,000 per academic year for eligible students - see our Fees and Funding section for more details.

This course has been approved against the Nursing and Midwifery Council Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses. These standards set out the knowledge and skills you will learn as the next generation of learning disabilities nurses, to enable you to deliver world class person-centred, evidence-based care.

Are you ready to make a difference and embark on a rewarding career in nursing? This course will prepare you to make a positive contribution to the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities. You will learn how to assess the often complex social and health care needs and support the delivery of robust, evidence-based care plans. On completion of the course you’ll be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Learning Disabilities Nurse.

Find out more about careers in learning disabilities nursing in this video by the Royal College of Nursing.

Location

This course is offered at the Berkshire Institute for Health in Fountain House, our campus based in the heart of Reading, but is also available at our West London campus. As you will spend half your course gaining experience on placement, you should choose a course location that you can travel to easily. Please see the course details below for our Berkshire placement partners.

A nurse holding the hand of a patient

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Study options:
We support flexible study by offering some of our courses part-time or via distance learning. To give you real world experience before you graduate, we also offer some courses with a placement or internship. All available options are listed here. Your choices may affect some details of your course, such as the duration and cost per year. Please re-check the details on this page if you change your selection.

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Why study Nursing (Learning Disabilities) with us?

Why study Nursing (Learning Disabilities) with us?

What our students say…

This field specialises in the most important and challenging part of nursing profession which include; communication difficulty, Autism, Epilepsy, challenging behaviour, Down Syndrome and Dysphagia. I am now proud of my field as a specialist nurse-to-be because my field is unique. We also have brilliant and professional tutors and leading researchers.

Veronica Temitope
Next
Top modern university London for nursing Times and Sunday Times 2023
This course has simulation centres in London and Reading
Graduates are eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery council
Industry focused teaching
Course detail & modules

Course detail & modules

This Learning Disability Nursing degree has been designed with input from students, service users and our partners in the NHS and voluntary and independent sectors. You will benefit from a combination of staff expertise, active learning resources and placement work that will prepare you for current nursing practice.

On this course you will learn how to deliver care to the new standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards for Education and Training and the Future Nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses (NMC). The aim is to equip you with the skills and knowledge to face the challenges of nursing in the twenty-first century, with a focus on caring for people with learning disabilities.

You will learn how to:

  • provide, lead and coordinate care that is compassionate and evidence-based
  • care for people with complex mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural care needs
  • care for people in healthcare settings including their own home, in the community and in hospital
  • help promote health, protect health and prevent ill health
  • empower people, communities and populations to take control of their own health decisions and behaviours
  • care for people of different ages, backgrounds, cultures and beliefs
  • care for people at the end of their life
  • work across health and social care services 
  • play a proactive role in multidisciplinary teams
  • think critically and apply your knowledge and skills
  • be emotionally intelligent and resilient, while managing your personal health and wellbeing
Practice learning

You will spend a significant amount of time in practice where you will be appropriately supported and assessed. This will include learning to care for people in hospitals, in their own homes or within a community setting. As you will be working with people who require care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can expect to work days, weekends, bank holidays and night shifts. You will not receive payment for your practice learning.

Each year your course will divided into blocks:

  • Theory  - this will include: induction, taught time, independent learning, assessment support and scheduled Personal Tutor meetings)
  • Practice  - this will include preparation for practice weeks and placement learning)
  • Annual leave - these are set for the duration of the course and cannot be changed
Facilities and support

We will provide a supportive learning environment to help you gain confidence as you develop your skills. You will learn using high-tech, innovative resources – including a fully equipped simulation centre – that help make your classes fun and engaging. In addition, you will have:

  • teaching staff who are highly committed and specialists in their subjects.
  • a personal tutor to guide you through your course as well as access to the University’s mentoring service.
  • regular personalised feedback on your progress in theory and practice components
  • access to a variety of practice placements, thanks to our many partners
Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring people with a disability are provided with equal access to their chosen course of study and facilities at the University of West London. Appropriate support can be provided to remove barriers faced in education because of a person’s disability. This is support is called “reasonable adjustments”. 

We strongly encourage applicants to disclose their disability and discuss support requirements at the earliest opportunity by contacting our Wellbeing Team: online via the Student Hub or by email - wellbeing@uwl.ac.uk alternatively telephone 020 8231 2739. Early disclosure enables the University time to consider the individual support requirements that you may have and to identify whether reasonable adjustments can be made to help you with your studies prior to the start of the course. Some reasonable adjustments may not be possible in a placement setting due to professional standards and core competencies of the role so it is imperative these are considered prior to starting the course. 

It is important to understand that successful progression on this course is dependent on professional standards being met. By disclosing to the University, where reasonable adjustments can be made, the University will provide you with the support you need to meet these standards. See standards of proficiency for registered nurses to explore the standards appropriate to your chosen course.

Placement partners

Your placement is an essential part of your course and will take up an equal amount of time as your classroom studies at the University. It will give you practical experience so that you can apply what you learn in a real-world setting. 

In Berkshire, we currently partner with private and voluntary organisations that provide learning disability services.

Course subject to approval

Approval is the formal process by which the University ensures that the proposed design, content and delivery of a course will provide a high quality learning experience for all students.
Entry requirements

Entry requirements

You need: 

  • a first degree at grade 2:2 or above in any subject 
  • GCSE English and Maths (grade 9 - 4 / A* - C) or Level 2 equivalents 
Portfolio and independent study module

If you are successful at interview you will be required to complete a 6000 word portfolio (Recognition of Prior Learning module). You will need to achieve a pass mark of 40% at Level 6, to be offered a place on the course.

Guidance on how to complete this independent study module will be provided by the course leader. Candidates are usually given 4 weeks to complete the module.

Experience and recent study

We recommend you should have some experience of:

  • studying in the past five years
  • working in a health/social care setting (paid/voluntary)

You will be asked to provide a satisfactory reference along with your application form.

All offers are subject to satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and occupational health checks.

Find out more about the occupational health clearance requirements, tests and immunisations (pdf, 723kb)

Selection Process

If you have the qualifications for this course, you will be asked to attend an individual values-based interview with an academic, clinician and service user/carer.

Fees & funding

Fees & funding

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The fee above is the cost per year of your course.

If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year. If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.

Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year are subject to change.

If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

September 2024 applicants to this course will receive:

  • one-off UWL bursary of £1,000, awarded on successful completion of the first year of the course
  • NHS subject specialist grant of £1,000 per academic year.
  • NHS non-means tested grant of at least £5,000 per academic year for eligible students. 

For more information on this as well as the additional range of nursing, midwifery and healthcare scholarships and bursaries which you may be eligible for, visit our Scholarships and bursaries page.

You may also qualify for additional financial support. Read the eligibility criteria and find out how to apply for the fund at www.healthcareers.nhs.uk. The funding will not need to be repaid and you can also access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.

Please visit our Help with Funding page for more general information and advice:

Teaching staff

Teaching staff

Chiedza Kudita

Chiedza Kudita

I teach across all our pre-registration Nursing courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate) and lead on the following module:

  • Preparing for registration with the NMC (PGDip Level7) .

As nursing incorporates theory and practice, most of my teaching activities have been planned to reflect this. I employ the following teaching techniques:

  • Examples from practice to explain concepts to students, including involving users, carers and practice colleagues.
  • UWL Flex and virtual teaching via Blackboard Collaborate and e-learning activities
  • Simulated learning
  • Scenario-based teaching
  • Interprofessional learning
  • The use of roleplay

I am actively involved in curriculum reviews and enhancement activities as Lead for Public Involvement. My contribution covers most core areas of undergraduate pre-registration Nursing and Nursing Associate programs.

I teach across all our pre-registration Nursing courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate) and lead on the following module:

  • Preparing for registration with the NMC (PGDip Level7) .

As nursing incorporates theory and practice, most of my teaching activities have been planned to reflect this. I employ the following teaching techniques:

  • Examples from practice to explain concepts to students, including involving users, carers and practice colleagues.
  • UWL Flex and virtual teaching via Blackboard Collaborate and e-learning activities
  • Simulated learning
  • Scenario-based teaching
  • Interprofessional learning
  • The use of roleplay

I am actively involved in curriculum reviews and enhancement activities as Lead for Public Involvement. My contribution covers most core areas of undergraduate pre-registration Nursing and Nursing Associate programs.

Study & career progression

Study & career progression

A smiling nurse in a hospital setting

Many of our graduates find work with local NHS Trusts or healthcare organisations. 

Alternatively, you could continue your studies at UWL. This will help you to enhance your clinical knowledge and skills in a specialist area.

We also offer Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for healthcare practitioners.

How to apply

How to apply

Important notes for applicants

Disclaimer

*Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and subsequent to, 1992.

**The National Student Survey 2022 and 2023 - Based on an average of all 27 questions. Excludes specialist institutions.

Testimonials - our students or former students provided all of our testimonials - often a student from the course but sometimes another student. For example, the testimonial often comes from another UWL student when the course is new.

Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.

Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming. In some cases a new Course Leader has joined the University since the video was filmed.

Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route we would like to advise you that if a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, this is to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.