Established in 2021, the ADRS Crisis Outreach Service in Glasgow City aims to reduce the increasing number of nonfatal overdoses and drug related deaths. With 12 nursing staff from across Addiction, Mental Health and Acute Adult nursing, the team delivers a committed and understanding service. Tackling health inequalities, financial deprivation and stigmatisation, the team has developed a creative approach to engaging this vulnerable and high-risk population through focussed outreach across Glasgow city.
In addition to supporting patients, the team provide practical and educational input with families, carers and a wide variety of support service staff to raise awareness and highlight the impact of alcohol and substance use on a person’s physical and mental health and wider social networks. These interventions include training on recognising and managing a drug overdose, provision of naloxone including training on its use, access to recovery or support services across the city.
The team’s inclusive approach has opened up opportunities to link with a range of services to engage persons known and unknown to treatment services who have been identified as high risk or in alcohol or substance use crisis.
Commending the team for their work to tackle health inequalities, Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director said: “Across health and social care, nursing teams are working collaboratively to deliver innovation, service improvements and high-quality care. The ADRS team is a prime example of great nursing being delivered by a professional and committed team and in close partnership with multidisciplinary colleagues. The team’s significant nursing contribution continues to positively impact the patient care of an often stigmatised group”.
Congratulations to runners up, Unit 5 at the Falkirk Community Hospital in NHS Forth Valley, and to the two highly commended finalists – the Public Protection Service and the Intensive and Unscheduled Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Team, both from NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. All the finalists in this category prove that when nurses come together great things can be achieved.
Thanks to our sponsors of this award, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. With their support, we were able to go all out and truly celebrate all of our finalists and their contribution to the health and care of the people of Scotland.
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