AN inspirational Glasgow nurse met with MSPs to call for more to be done to improve the health of people living in the most deprived areas.

Hilda Campbell is chief executive of Drumchapel charity Cope, which helps people and families manage the challenges of life, which unaddressed, can lead to mental illness.

She is one of six nurses whose work features in Nursing at the Edge, a new campaign by the Royal College of Nursing showing the impact nurses can have on reducing health inequalities in Scotland.

Research has shown the health of people living in the least well -off areas is getting worse despite banning smoking in public places and campaigns aimed at reducing alcohol consumption.

As a result, the RCN believes more needs to be done to improve the health of the people who most need it.

Caring Over People's Emotions (Cope) in Drumchapel is being held up as a shining example of a service which tackles health inequalities. It provides a wide range of services including support, lifestyle advice, links to other services, a craft cafe, aromatherapy courses, self-management courses, mental health awareness and suicide prevention training.

Ms Campbell said: "The people we see here at Cope are at the end of their tether. Maybe it is to do with suicidal thoughts as a response to a life challenge, grief at the loss of a loved one, feelings of hopelessness, challenges of poverty and inequality, drug and alcohol misuse, challenges with relationships and money worries - the list of issues impacting on people's wellbeing is sadly very long.

"We turn no-one away. If we can't help, we work with the person to try and find someone who can. We have virtually no waiting times - people are offered an appointment promptly when they phone, as we know services need to respond, and long waiting lists only compound people's distress.

"We are now established as the local community's self-made safety net.

"What we do is preventative and can't be easily measured but I see the difference we make to people's lives, day in, day out."

Theresa Fyffe, director of RCN Scotland, said: "There are many examples of nurses working alongside other health and social care professionals to provide services that are designed around the needs of individual people and Cope is an inspiring example of this.

"We are pressing the Scottish Government, the NHS and local authorities to support these services in the long term."

vivienne.nicoll@eveningtimes.co.uk