Bespoke STOMP training for learning disability teams-Does it work?

Accessible summary There is significant concern about medication being given to people with intellectual disability (ID) inappropriately particularly to manage their behaviours which needs to stop. This needs people who work and support people with ID with their distress to be aware of the national concerns and guidance. We checked whether NHS staff who work with people with ID , that is the ID service, are aware of the latest guidance and whether training them will help improve their knowledge. We found that there were differences in knowledge in some groups such as nurses and psychologists compared to others and training can make a positive change. This is important as training can possibly deliver better care to people with ID . center dot center dot center dot center dot Background Intellectual disability (ID) is associated with polypharmacy particularly off-label psychotropics for challenging behaviour. NHS England introduced the stopping over medication of people with a learning disability (LD), autism or both (STOMP) initiative. As ID services are a professionally diverse group, it is important to know whether teams have suitable knowledge to deliver STOMP. The impact of delivering bespoke STOMP training was evaluated. Methods A 21-item multiple-choice questionnaire was distributed to three specialist ID teams in the south-west of England. Current best practice and national guidance knowledge on psychotropic medication use in ID were assessed. One team received bespoke training covering the content of the questionnaire prior to completion. Results Survey participation was 44% (21/48) by the trained team, 34% (15/44) and 70% (7/10) in the untrained teams. The trained team participants scored over 80% on 19/21 questions compared to 15/21 and 16/21 in the untrained teams. Subspeciality analysis of pooled data (n = 43) showed nursing scored more than 80% on 16/21 questions, psychology 15/21 and allied health professionals (AHPs) 19/21. Nursing and psychology both reported STOMP to be a priority. Majority responded yes to potentially being involved in STOMP. Conclusions Better STOMP knowledge and understanding of best practice and guidelines are associated with training. Nursing and psychology are essential to STOMP delivery but scored lower than AHPs. We recommend semi-structured STOMP training developed locally with national underpinnings for all specialist ID teams, particularly focussed on front-line staff directly involved in the management of challenging behaviour.