About
About Oliver McGowan Academy
Where inclusion leads to safer practice and better care.
Who we are
Oliver McGowan Academy is a London-based training provider supporting Health and Social Care organizations with practical, person-centered Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training alongside Disability Awareness, SEND, Neurodiversity, and Workplace inclusion training.
We don’t just deliver training. We work in partnership with organisations to understand their needs, strengthen workforce confidence, and support meaningful improvements in practice.
Our mission is to deliver inclusive, high-quality training that strengthens confidence, promotes safety, and better care through lived experience.
Oliver’s story
Oliver McGowan was an 18-year-old autistic young man with a learning disability and epilepsy who died in hospital in 2016. Despite clear warnings from him and his family about his intolerance to certain anti-psychotic medication, it was administered, leading to avoidable harm.
Following his death, his family campaigned to improve awareness and understanding of people with learning disabilities and autism across health and social care.
This led to the Health and Care Act 2022, which makes it a legal requirement for all CQC-registered providers in England to ensure staff receive training in learning disability and autism appropriate to their role.
The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training has been developed as the government’s preferred programme to meet this requirement, aiming to improve care, reduce health inequalities, and prevent avoidable harm.
This course will support you to meet this requirement and deliver safer, more person-centred care.
Our values
Our Commitment to Better Care
Inclusion
We believe everyone should be respected, heard, and supported to thrive.
Care
We are committed to delivering training and support with compassion, professionalism, and integrity.
Safety
We aim to help create safer environments through better understanding and informed practice.
Lived experience
We value the insights of people with lived experience and ensure their voice helps shape our work
Disability Confident Committed
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer, reflecting our commitment to inclusive, respectful, and accessible opportunities for disabled people. This commitment is reflected in how we recruit, support our team, and deliver training across the health and social care sector. We value lived experience and work to create an environment where people feel supported, respected, and able to thrive.
What makes us different
Lived experience at the centre
Every session is co-delivered with Experts by Lived Experience, who share real stories to deepen understanding and support more inclusive care.
- Authentic, human insight in every session = Expert-Led Sessions.
- National Coverage, flexible delivery
- Real impact on practice
Together, we can help create more inclusive services and reduce the risk of avoidable harm by improving understanding, communication and compassionate care.
— The Oliver McGowan Academy team
Bring the academy to your organisation
From single places to whole-team rollouts and in-house delivery, we will find the right route for you.
