Jude Gordon

My passion for the field of nursing has taken hold of my head and heart over the years. Learning Disability Nurses have an important role and a unique set of skills that provides people with a learning disability, young and old, with the most person centred care and life improving potential for their particular individual needs whilst also providing support for their families.

2019 marks the 100th year of Learning Disability Nursing and I am proud to say that this is my 35th year in this field. In 2018 I completed my Return to Practice (RTP) Nursing and now have a job as a community nurse with the LD CAMHS (Learning Disability Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) team. I have seen how people with learning disabilities have and in some case still are treated in a negative way or considered not capable in so many ways but it is up to us, as qualified nurses in learning disability, to continue to promote independence and change to enable the people we support to maximise their potential.

Learning disability nursing has been around for 100 years, just look at what we have achieved over these years and think what we can achieve in the next 100 years. Learning Disability Nurses, we need you more than ever!