Jason Grundy, ex-student nurse at the University of Nottingham explains how the conference came about...

Having spent all of CFP being told that there was no future in LD nursing (mainly by adult branch nurses) I was beginning to think that I had made the wrong choice in attaining the RNLD qualification. 

However due to the POSITIVE experiences that I had during my branch placements and the support of my tutors I stuck it out and went into branch full of confidence that I had made a POSITIVE choice about the RNLD career. 

This was until I attended the RCN conference in Harrogate in 2004 where I was told by a rep from a PCT that they only employed RMN's to work within their LD service as 'EVERYONE WITH A LD HAD A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE ANYWAY!!!!!!!'.

This experience again made me question my choice, however I decided to post this onto the CHOICE FORUM where I received a lot of POSITIVE replies from LD professionals (YOU GUYS), at this point Helen Laverty asked if it would be a good idea if we all got together to discuss possibility of a small conference to discuss the issues. The rest as they say is history. (ACORNS!!!!).

Jason is now working in a forensic unit in New Zealand.