Melanie Webb

Consultant Nurse Learning Disabilities
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

I trained in Norfolk as a Registered Learning Disabilities Nurse in 1988 and have worked in a variety of both community and in-patient settings. Following completion of my MSc (Mental Health in Learning Disabilities) I held a Clinical Nurse Specialist post which was developed to specifically support access to adult mental health services for people who also had a Learning Disability. Following this I held a number of Senior Nursing posts with a particular emphasis on continued improvement in the quality of service provision.

Since completing the Non-Medical Prescribing qualification in 2012, I have fully embedded this into my Consultant Nurse role which I have held for the last three years. I have a particular interest in supporting the further development of these roles across Learning Disability Services and more specifically in highlighting the beneficial impact that these roles have in supporting the rationalisation of, and deprescribing of prescribed psychotropic medications.

A key focus of my role is providing clinical and strategic leadership for our Health Facilitation Team across Hampshire and Southampton. Although there remains work to be done and more progress to be made, I am incredibly proud of the positive outcomes that have been achieved across the wider health and social care system in reducing the health inequalities that are still faced by people who also have a Learning Disability, and I am actively involved in positive change initiatives both locally and nationally.

As a Learning Disability Nurse, I still remain as passionate and committed as I was on my very first day all those years ago and I still thrive on a new challenge. I feel extremely privileged to part of such an amazing profession!ry online can make all the difference.

Samuel Edwards

Learning Disability Consultant Nurse, Cornwall

I have worked with people with learning disabilities for 22 years and believe passionately in reducing discrimination and inequality. I have worked across a range of settings including forensic / inpatients, primary care liaison and commissioning. I currently work for the adult community learning disability team, serving the population of Cornwall. Starting out as a support worker in London, I then went on to train as a Registered Learning Disability Nurse at Greenwich University, before completing an MSc in Analysis & Intervention in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities at the Tizard Centre in Kent.

I am pleased that improving the lives of people with learning disabilities is a currently a national priority, for example as evidenced in the NHS Long Term Plan, and my background in liaison nursing has given me the firm belief that this objective is the responsibility of everyone, not just specialist learning disability staff.

Before working in healthcare, I studied art and drama and worked briefly in the film industry. I have a keen interest in music and play drums in a local band.

Gweneth Moulster OBE (MA, Cert Ed, RNLD)

Independent Consultant Nurse & Honorary Senior Fellow, Kingston and St Georges, University of London

I have worked as a learning disability nurse for over 40 years. Throughout my career I have loved all the many and varied challenges and rewards of my role. I have worked with a wide range of health needs and complexity across inpatient and community care, and been involved in changing and developing services.

I have extensive experience of person-centred working with people who have learning disabilities, families, advocates, health professionals and others to improve the quality of health experiences and outcomes. I am part of the team who developed the Health Equalities Framework (HEF) and led on the development and implementation of the Moulster and Griffiths Nursing Model winning the RCN learning disability nursing awards in 2012 and 2016.

I’m a great believer in finding person centred solutions that help people have better health and wellbeing. I enjoy working with students and qualified nurses to support professional and personal development. I see mentorship as an important part of my role, seeing my colleagues grow and develop to meet the ever-expanding challenges faced by learning disability nurses.

In 2016 I was proud to be awarded an OBE for services to nursing and people with learning disabilities. I feel this award reflected the growing awareness of the value learning disability nurses and reflects the work of so many of my colleagues, reinforcing how proud I am to be a learning disability nurse.