Senior Nurse, Alison Robertson-Brown has dedicated her career of more than 20 years to caring for people supported by Turning Point Scotland’s Alcohol and Other Drugs services.
Working at the Glasgow Alcohol and Drug Recovery Residential Stabilisation Service (GADRRS), “no two days are the same”, according to Alison.
One moment she is filling medication and the next reviving an individual who has overdosed with Naloxone.
International Nurse Day is celebrated on 12 May, with profiles of Turning Point Scotland’s nurses highlighting the vital contribution this profession has in delivering high-quality services.
Alison says that it is important to not stigmatise the people supported at GADRRS saying: “We don’t judge you, we draw a line under it and move on”.
Alison became a Mental Health Nurse before realising she wanted to work with people experiencing problems with alcohol and other drugs use.
“I love the people we support, that is my whole passion to treat them with dignity, respect and help them do what they want to do. That’s why I’m here,” she said.
“We encourage them to make the most of their placement at the service. It must be hard to come in and think the life they knew before is over.”
Alison believes the most rewarding part of her work is to see the transformation in a person while they are at the service.
“It’s seeing someone come through the door broken and they come here and get full healthcare, get glasses and their teeth seen to by a dentist,” she said.
“It’s seeing somebody that’s a bit stronger and able to make better decisions.”
Initially, Alison did not aspire to become a nurse but the career was, “the only route to become involved in drugs and alcohol”, in the hands-on way she wanted.
She was the first nurse at the stabilisation service and believes Turning Point Scotland is a great organisation to work for to make a positive change in another person’s life.
“At Turning Point Scotland, every nurse is respected, valued and listened to. As a nurse, you never think you’re going to get your voice heard,” she said.
“When I came to Turning Point Scotland I realised, we can make changes and through nurse meetings and Care and Clinical Governance, we are making very big changes.”