A mental health nurse who works with the charity Combat Stress has been given a prestigious award for his approach to supporting veterans with substance abuse issues who are in the criminal justice system.

Dave Marsden was given the Paolo Pertica Award on September 19th at the fifth International City Health Conference in London. He has been working with Combat Stress since 2014 as part of the charity's substance Misuse Case Management Service (SMCMS) in Northumberland. 

This service allows veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse issues to have access to the services they require. It also encourages veterans to access the support on offer.

Soon after Mr Marsden started working as part of SMCMS, he realised that a lot of veterans were getting lost in the criminal justice system due to problems stemming from undiagnosed PTSD and complicated by substance abuse. He also found that many ex-service personnel were prevented from accessing the treatment they needed for their mental health by their alcohol or drug dependency.

To combat this, Mr Marsden developed a project that targets veterans – who are the largest professional group involved with the criminal justice system – who may have undiagnosed or misdiagnosed mental health issues. Te project helps ensure that they receive the treatment they require.

He was presented his award due to this innovative approach and for developing pathways to treatment that allow for a faster diagnosis of PTSD, which ensures a more efficient response. 

Manager of SMCMS, Kevin Molloy, said: “Veterans with mental health conditions and substance misuse can end up in the Criminal Justice System, so it’s important we work with the different agencies to increase awareness and understanding of the issues.

“Dave has been instrumental in establishing and embedding new referral pathways with the Probation Service, Prison Service and police force, as well as GPs and hospitals, to enable veterans to get the support they need. This award is testament to the success he has had in Northumberland.”