AN inspirational nurse has told how he used his own experiences of addiction and mental health issues to retrain and help others.

Mature student Craig Davidson qualified right at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and immediately made a difference to how asylum seekers were treated. 

Now he says he has been "humbled" to be nominated for a top nursing award. 

The 37-year-old is up for the Rising Star honour at the Nursing Times Awards 2022.

Craig works to support the health of asylum seekers and, most recently, Ukrainian refugees who have been welcomed to the city and is a passionate advocate for equality and LGBTQ+ rights.

Craig said: “It’s lovely to be nominated. 

"I came quite late to nursing after dealing with my own lived experience of internalised homophobia, mental health and addiction struggles and I’m driven to ensure nobody feel different or unworthy. 

"I see my role as helping others to shine, both patients and colleagues alike and find the light, even in the darkest of times.”

Craig was praised for his exceptional work and his strong "moral compass" by fellow nurse and teacher Aisha Holloway, Professor of Nursing Studies at Edinburgh University. 

She said: “Craig has a remarkable ability to cut across the healthcare system, the nursing profession, and stakeholder territory, operating across layers of complexity and navigating the terrain with confidence, compassion, and creativity, has positively influenced the profession and patients.

“Craig always has an inclusive approach and a moral compass that ensures he can be generous in all that he does. 

"He steps up, is a role model, and his exceptional qualities inspire those around him, including myself.”

Glasgow Times:

Craig joined Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership’s Asylum Health Bridging Team as a newly qualified nurse at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

While there, he suggested a number of improvements to the initial health assessments which support asylum seekers, including additional support for people with protected characteristics. 

The Team Leader for the Asylum Health Bridging Team, Stewart Curtis, added: “This is one standout change within the service, among many, that staff and myself have identified as having such a positive impact on patients. 

"I will never forget this change due to the difference it makes to patients who the service supports. 

"Craig highlighted that if we don't ask these questions, how will we support them? 

"Craig actively researched if there was such a service in Glasgow. 

"Once he found this service, he contacted them, shared this knowledge with the rest of the team, developing a pathway to refer to this service."

Craig, who won the Nursing Times Student Nurse of the Year Award in 2019, is looking forward to the awards ceremony in the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane in London later this year. 

He said: “I’m humbled by the support I have received – I have put my whole heart and soul in nursing and societal improvement and it will be fantastic to join colleagues from across the UK as we celebrate their incredible achievements.”