I’m reminded of the words of our 2025 Scotland Nurse of the Year, Kirsty Cartin, who said “Care homes aren’t places where people go to die, they’re places where people should thrive”. With people living longer in care homes, increasing pressure on nurse staffing levels, and increasing co-morbidities, NHS services are being developed to support our independent care home providers – preventing avoidable hospital admissions and supporting care home staff to care for their residents in their home.
Our 2025 winner of the RCN Scotland Mental Health Nursing Award, Kenny Davidson, is a prime example of how one practitioner’s vision, commitment, and leadership can drive real, meaningful change for some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.
In 2022, a bold step forward was taken in Moray with the appointment of Kenny as the region’s first Specialist Nurse in Dementia for Care Homes. What began as a non-clinical post quickly evolved into a transformative role, reshaping dementia care across Moray and inspiring professionals far beyond.
Kenny’s deep-rooted passion for person-centred dementia care is unmistakable. He has an exceptional understanding of the complexities and distress experienced by people with cognitive impairments, and advocates tirelessly for residents, their families, and the care home teams who support them.
Recognising the urgent need to support residents showing signs of distress, Kenny pioneered a model of regular clinics in every care home in the area. These sessions go far beyond symptom management, they are safe, collaborative spaces for identifying unmet needs, educating staff, involving families, and rewriting care plans. The focus is on understanding the ‘why’ behind the behaviours, challenging the widespread issue of diagnostic overshadowing where distress is incorrectly attributed solely to dementia.
Working closely with GPs, pharmacists, and Community Mental Health Teams, Kenny supports the reduction of inappropriate antipsychotic prescribing by championing comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments to uncover underlying causes such as unmanaged chronic pain or environmental stressors. In the first year alone, of the 148 residents assessed, over half were found to suffer from untreated pain. Following tailored interventions, 98% of residents experienced a significant reduction in distress—without the need for increased medication.
His model has been a catalyst to broader system change and his reach now extends to learning disability services, care-at-home teams, and hospitals, sharing his expertise to elevate dementia care throughout the system.
Our 2025 winner of the RCN Scotland Mental Health Nursing Award, Kenny Davidson, is a prime example of how one practitioner’s vision, commitment, and leadership can drive real, meaningful change for some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.
In 2022, a bold step forward was taken in Moray with the appointment of Kenny as the region’s first Specialist Nurse in Dementia for Care Homes. What began as a non-clinical post quickly evolved into a transformative role, reshaping dementia care across Moray and inspiring professionals far beyond.
Kenny’s deep-rooted passion for person-centred dementia care is unmistakable. He has an exceptional understanding of the complexities and distress experienced by people with cognitive impairments, and advocates tirelessly for residents, their families, and the care home teams who support them.
Recognising the urgent need to support residents showing signs of distress, Kenny pioneered a model of regular clinics in every care home in the area. These sessions go far beyond symptom management, they are safe, collaborative spaces for identifying unmet needs, educating staff, involving families, and rewriting care plans. The focus is on understanding the ‘why’ behind the behaviours, challenging the widespread issue of diagnostic overshadowing where distress is incorrectly attributed solely to dementia.
Working closely with GPs, pharmacists, and Community Mental Health Teams, Kenny supports the reduction of inappropriate antipsychotic prescribing by championing comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments to uncover underlying causes such as unmanaged chronic pain or environmental stressors. In the first year alone, of the 148 residents assessed, over half were found to suffer from untreated pain. Following tailored interventions, 98% of residents experienced a significant reduction in distress—without the need for increased medication.
His model has been a catalyst to broader system change and his reach now extends to learning disability services, care-at-home teams, and hospitals, sharing his expertise to elevate dementia care throughout the system.
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