BBC Woman's hour: Paula McGowan talks about the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training in Learning Disability and Autism (17 May 2022)

Summary

In 2016, 18 year-old Oliver McGowan died after being inappropriately prescribed antipsychotic medications. Oliver had high functioning autism, mild hemiplegia and epilepsy, and had experienced previous well-documented adverse reactions to these medications. On admission to hospital, both Oliver and his parents had been clear about the fact that he should not be given any form of antipsychotic.

In this interview for Woman's Hour, Oliver's mum Paula talks about Oliver and the events that led to his death, as well as discussing new mandatory training for all health and social care staff that was passed into law as part of the Health and Care Act 2022 - The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training in Learning Disability and Autism. This will ensure that all staff working health and social care receive learning disability and autism training appropriate for their role, which will in turn improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities.

The interview can be found at 34 minutes 10 seconds into the programme.