Intellectual disability nurse jobs

Intellectual Disability Nurse jobs: frequently asked questions

Welcome to our Intellectual Disability Nurse jobs page, featuring all the latest roles throughout the UK, as well as frequently asked questions below.

What is an Intellectual Disability Nurse?

Intellectual Disability Nurses, also commonly known as Learning Disability Nurses, care for people of all ages with learning disabilities. They help people to maintain their health and wellbeing, and to live as independently as possible.

Roles are abundant both in the NHS and private sector and within a variety of settings, including mental health wards, specialist care homes, respite wards and general wards. Intellectual Disability Nurses also occupy community roles, including at people’s homes, prisons, workplaces or within specialist community centres.

What are the daily duties of an Intellectual Disability Nurse?

The nature of an LD Nurse’s responsibilities varies according to the setting.

However, they will often include:

• Engaging with and assessing the needs of vulnerable people

• Developing individual care packages

• Co-ordinating care plans with other health and social welfare professionals

• Organising home visits and attending GP clinics to monitor patient progress

• Helping patients with simple activities like dressing and personal hygiene

• Supporting staff and carers in the community

• Assisting with tests, evaluations and observations

Working hours are typically shift-based, which could mean some evening and weekend work.

What qualifications do you need to become an Intellectual Disability Nurse?

To become a Learning Disability Nurse you need to be registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC). And to be eligible to register you will need a nursing degree.

Courses typically last three years and are available at universities and institutions throughout the country. Courses are divided between academic study and clinical practice, with at least 50% of your course being practical.

Once you complete your degree and register, you’ll be eligible for a wide variety of roles.

How much do Intellectual Disability Nurses earn?

Entry level LD Nurses earn a Band 5 salary on the official NHS pay-scale. This means that you’ll earn approximately £24,907 a year – rising incrementally every year until you reach the top of your banding.

From there, boosting your pay packet beyond incremental annual increases comes down to working your way into higher bandings. You’ll be able to do this by gaining more experience and taking extra training where possible. At Band 6 or 7, salaries can range from £31,365 to £44,503.

To push your career beyond this level, it’s likely that you’ll need to become more specialised. You could pursue a position in health management, research, nurse education, or within a specific field of learning disabilities, such as autism.

In the private sector, pay is harder to pinpoint because there is no regulated payscale. Anecdotally however, it’s said that LD Nurses tend to earn a higher salary than in the NHS.

The other most common way of improving your earnings could be to work as a bank or agency nurse. With enough experience, you can achieve excellent daily rates of pay.

Find your next Intellectual Disability Nurse job today

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