Oxford Handbook of Learning and Intellectual Disability Nursing

This new edition of the Oxford Handbook of Learning and Intellectual Disability Nursing has been fully updated, with a greater focus on older people with learning and intellectual disabilities and mental health issues, as well as bringing all recommendations in line with current guidelines.

Since the first edition of this book was published, services for people with learning disabilities and their families have become more community-based, and the demography of the population of people with learning disabilities has changed to include many older people, and children and young adults with complex physical health needs. This handbook provides clear information for readers on practical steps that may be taken to actively engage with people who have learning disabilities, to enable effective care in which they are involved as much as possible with decisions that affect them. This book also covers differences in legislation and social policy across the constituent countries in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including changes that have been implemented since serious case reviews into institutional abuse. An emergencies section provides key information at critical times in practice. The chapter on practice resources has been fully revised to bring together the latest tools to support nurses, complete with links for easy access.

Written by experienced practitioners who are recognised experts in their areas of speciality, the Oxford Handbook of Learning and Intellectual Disability Nursing is an invaluable guide for students, community and hospital based nurses, and all those who work with people with intellectual disabilities as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Owen Barr, Professor of Nursing and Intellectual Disabilities, School of Nursing, Ulster University, Londonderry, UK,Bob Gates, Professor of Learning Disabilities and Editor in Chief of the British Journal of Learning Disabilities, University of West London, University of Hertfordshire, and University of Derby, UK

Professor Owen Barr is Professor of Nursing and Intellectual Disabilities at Ulster University. He commenced his nursing career as Registered General Nurse before undertaking his Registered Nurse Learning Disability education and later his Community Nursing Course: Learning Disabilities. He has worked in a number of hospital and community nursing posts in intellectual / learning disability services in England and Northern Ireland before entering nurse education.

He has particular interests in health needs of people with intellectual disabilities, including access to general health services as well as the impact of receiving personal genetic information. Owen has written widely, with over 110 publications covering nursing services for people with intellectual disabilities, support for the families of people with intellectual / learning disabilities, the health of people with intellectual / learning disabilities and supporting people receiving personal genetic information.


Professor Bob Gates is now semi-retired but continues to work part-time as Professor of Learning Disabilities at the University of West London. He is also Emeritus Professor of Learning Disabilities at the University of Hertfordshire, and Visiting Professor of Learning Disabilities at Derby University. He has a long career in learning disabilities spanning many decades, and is well known for his contribution to the field. During his career he has held numerous positions across the UK in learning disability services, and higher education settings. Before retiring he established the Centre for Learning Disability Studies at Hertfordshire, and previously the East Yorkshire Learning Disability Institute at the University of Hull. He was Founding Editor in Chief of Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, and serves on numerous international journal editorial boards. In 2014 he was appointed Editor in Chief of the British Journal of Learning Disabilities, and has produced more than 160 publications.