Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training: New 2026/27 Funding Window Is Open — And CQC Is Rejecting Registrations Without It

A new government funding window for Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training opened on 1 April 2026. If your care organisation exhausted its 2025/26 allocation — or missed it entirely — fresh funding is available right now for the 2026/27 financial year. Many providers don't know it's open.

At the same time, CQC is actively rejecting registration applications and issuing 'Inadequate' ratings where providers cannot demonstrate completed training. This is not an advisory requirement. It is a legal obligation under the Health and Care Act 2022, and CQC has made clear it is one of the first things inspectors check.

This guide covers what the new funding covers, how to access it, who must complete the training, what CQC is checking, and what happens if you haven't started yet.

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What Is Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training?

Oliver McGowan was a young man with autism and a learning disability who died in 2016 after being given antipsychotic medication he had previously been identified as intolerant to. His family's campaign for change led directly to Tier 1 and Tier 2 standardised training requirements embedded in the Health and Care Act 2022.

The training is designed to ensure everyone working in health and social care understands the needs of people with learning disabilities and autistic people — and knows how to adjust their care accordingly.

There are two tiers:

• Tier 1: E-learning. For all staff who have any contact with people who have a learning disability or are autistic. Takes approximately 90 minutes. Mandatory for the entire workforce.
• Tier 2: A half-day face-to-face session co-delivered by people with lived experience. Required for staff who regularly provide direct support to people with learning disabilities or autism.

Both tiers are now a legal requirement for CQC-registered providers in England.

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The 2026/27 Funding Window: What's Available

Government funding to offset the cost of Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training was made available from Skills for Care and NHS England. The 2025/26 funding allocation closed on 31 March 2026. The 2026/27 window opened on 1 April 2026.

Key points about the new funding:

• Who can access it: CQC-registered adult social care providers, including care homes, domiciliary care, supported living, and residential settings
• What it covers: Reimbursement for Tier 2 face-to-face training delivered by approved trainers (co-produced with people with lived experience)
• Where to apply: Through Skills for Care — applications are submitted via approved training providers
• Availability: Funding is allocated on a first-come basis and exhausted quickly in 2025/26 — early application in 2026/27 is essential

Many care providers who used their full 2025/26 allocation do not realise new funding has opened. Many who missed 2025/26 are sitting on a compliance gap that CQC will find.

⚠️ CQC Position (April 2026): CQC inspectors are now routinely checking Oliver McGowan training completion records during inspections. Providers who cannot evidence training across their workforce are receiving 'Requires Improvement' and 'Inadequate' ratings. CQC has also begun rejecting new registration applications where training evidence is absent.

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Who Must Complete the Training

The legal requirement applies to all CQC-registered health and care organisations in England. This includes:

• Residential care homes and nursing homes
• Domiciliary care providers
• Supported living services
• Mental health providers
• GP practices and primary care networks
• Dental practices (CQC-registered)
• NHS trusts and foundation trusts
• Hospices
• Children's services that also provide adult services

Within these organisations, training is mandatory for:

• Tier 1: Every member of staff — including reception, admin, cleaning, catering, and maintenance — who has any contact with people who have a learning disability or are autistic
• Tier 2: All staff who provide direct, hands-on support to people with learning disabilities or autism on a regular basis

New starters must complete training before or as soon as practicable after starting their role. CQC will ask to see training records for the entire workforce, not just clinical staff.

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What CQC Checks During Inspection

CQC's single assessment framework includes Oliver McGowan training as a specific evidence category under the 'Safe' and 'Effective' quality statements. During an inspection, expect the following:

Documentary Evidence Requested

• Training completion records for every member of staff (Tier 1 and Tier 2 as applicable)
• Dates of completion — not just certificates, but timestamps confirming when training was done
• Evidence that Tier 2 was delivered by an approved, co-produced provider (not an unaccredited internal session)
• Your organisation's training schedule for new starters
• Any refresher or update training records (CQC expects periodic updating)

What Inspectors Ask Staff

• Whether they have completed the training and when
• What they learned about supporting people with learning disabilities or autism
• Whether they can describe how they adjust their care approach for a person with autism

A trained member of staff who cannot recall the training, or who completed an internal version that wasn't co-produced by people with lived experience, is treated as non-compliant. CQC is looking for genuine competence, not a ticked box.

Registration Implications

Since early 2026, CQC has begun refusing registration for new providers who cannot demonstrate Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training either completed or with a firm implementation plan in place. If you are applying to register a new service, this must be addressed before submission.

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The Cost of Non-Compliance

Oliver McGowan training failures feed directly into CQC ratings. A rating of 'Inadequate' triggers:

• Special measures: CQC oversight with a fixed window to improve
• Public rating publication: Your rating appears on the CQC website, visible to families, commissioners, and local authorities
• Contract risk: Many local authority commissioning contracts require 'Good' or above — an 'Inadequate' rating can trigger contract review or termination
• Registration conditions: CQC can impose conditions on your registration, restrict admissions, or begin cancellation proceedings

For providers funded by NHS England or local authorities, an 'Inadequate' rating is existential. The financial and reputational damage from a single rating change far exceeds the cost of training compliance.

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How to Access the 2026/27 Funding

Follow these steps to claim available funding for this financial year:

1. Contact Skills for Care directly at skillsforcare.org.uk — they hold the information on approved Tier 2 providers and current funding availability
2. Select an approved training provider — Tier 2 must be delivered by a provider whose training was co-produced with autistic people and people with learning disabilities. Check the approved list before booking.
3. Book Tier 2 as a priority — funding is finite and moves quickly. Tier 1 (e-learning) is lower cost; Tier 2 is where the funding offset is most valuable
4. Document everything immediately — store certificates, attendance records, and provider accreditation evidence in a format CQC can inspect on arrival
5. Set up a new starter process — ensure every new hire completes Tier 1 within their first week and is scheduled for Tier 2 within their first three months

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FAQ: Oliver McGowan Training 2026

Is Oliver McGowan training the same as eLearning for Healthcare (elfh) training?

The Tier 1 e-learning is available via the elfh platform free of charge. The Tier 2 face-to-face element is separate and must be delivered by an approved provider — it cannot be substituted with any other training.

Does it apply to agency and bank staff?

Yes. CQC expects training to cover all staff providing care, including those working through agencies. You should confirm with your agency that agency workers have completed the training before they are placed with you.

Is there a refresher requirement?

CQC expects training to be kept current. While there is no fixed statutory refresher period, CQC inspectors expect to see that organisations have a process for updating training and that staff are not working from training completed many years ago without any update.

We completed the training in 2024 — are we compliant?

Potentially — but CQC will check whether: (1) your full current workforce has completed it, not just staff who were there in 2024; (2) your Tier 2 provider was approved and co-produced; and (3) new starters since 2024 have been trained. Many providers who thought they were compliant have failed on workforce gaps.

What if we can't afford Tier 2 training?

The 2026/27 Skills for Care funding is specifically designed to offset Tier 2 costs. Apply early — this funding exhausted in 2025/26 before the year was out. If your funding application is in progress, document it: CQC will take into account a genuine implementation plan even if training hasn't started, particularly for providers who are newly registered.

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Key Takeaways

• The 2026/27 Oliver McGowan training funding window opened 1 April 2026 — apply now, funding is limited
• CQC is actively rejecting registrations and issuing 'Inadequate' ratings where training evidence is missing
• Tier 1 (e-learning) is mandatory for all staff with any patient/service user contact — including non-clinical roles
• Tier 2 (face-to-face) must be delivered by an approved, co-produced provider — internal sessions don't count
• Non-compliance triggers CQC rating downgrades, contract risk, and potential registration conditions
• Contact Skills for Care at skillsforcare.org.uk to access approved providers and funding

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