Support resources

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  1. What's involved
  2. Support resources

Available support

You can find advice and support from lots of organisations across the UK. See examples of the available support by type here.

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Support organisations

British Medical Association (BMA)

The BMA is the trade union and professional body for doctors in the UK. They provide advisory services for doctors, including those suffering with health related concerns. Your Wellbeing’ gives links to organisations, services and websites which offer help with addiction or mental health concerns. You can also access the following, free of charge, without being a member of the BMA:

BMA Doctor Support Service

The BMA runs this service on behalf of the GMC, to offer emotional help to doctors under investigation. You can:

BMA Counselling

The BMA counselling service provides constructive advice and support. Please call: 0330 123 1245, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

BMA Peer Support

This service gives you an opportunity to speak in confidence to another doctor. Please call: 0330 123 1245 and ask to speak to a doctor adviser.

MPTS Doctor Contact Service

Appearing before a tribunal can be daunting. The MPTS Doctor Contact Service is available to any doctor on the day of a hearing, and is particularly aimed at those attending alone or without legal representation.

A member of MPTS staff unconnected to your case will be available to talk to on the day of your hearing to help lessen the isolation and stress that you might feel, signpost useful support material and services, and talk you through the hearing process.

Please email: doctorcontact@mpts-uk.org.

Medical defence organisations

If you are a member of a medical defence organisation you should contact them as soon as possible. These organisations know our processes and can offer advice, legal and other support:

The Medical Defence Union (MDU)

The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS)

The Medical Protection Society (MPS)

The MPS also provide members access to counselling for stress as a result of receiving and dealing with complaints, clinical negligence claims, disciplinary matters, and other medicolegal issues. Just contact your medicolegal case handler, or email info@mps.org.uk.

NHS support services

NHS Practitioner Health

Practitioner Health is an award winning, free confidential NHS service for doctors and dentists across England with mental illness and addiction problems, who are working or looking to return to clinical practice. You can:

NHS Practitioner Performance Advice (formerly the National Clinical Assessment Service, NCAS)

The PPA service works to resolve concerns about the practice of doctors, dentists and pharmacists by providing case management services to health care organisations and to individual practitioners. Please call: 020 7811 2600.

 
Mental health support

Doctors’ Support Network (DSN)

An organisation whose core function is to provide support and information to doctors and medical students with mental health concerns. Visit www.dsn.org.uk/contact1 - Enter your name, email address and a brief message, and a member of DSN will correspond with you directly.

MIND

A registered charity which offers advice and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem. You can:

Rethink Mental Illness

Rethink provide expert, accredited advice and information to anyone affected by mental health problems. You can:

SANE

A leading UK mental health charity working to improve quality of life for anyone affected by mental illness. You can:

Alcohol and drug addiction support

British Doctors and Dentist Group (BDDG)

The BDDG is a mutual/self-help group of doctors and dentists who are recovering from chemical addiction, including alcohol or drugs (prescription/non-prescription). You can:

Sick Doctors Trust

An independent helpline established by a group of doctors who were themselves recovering from addictions and were concerned at the lack of effective arrangements for helping others who found themselves in difficulty as a result of alcohol or drug use. You can:

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

AA is a free nationwide service which assists in recovery and continued sobriety of individual alcoholics. You can:

Narcotics Anonymous (NA)

NA is a non-profit fellowship of recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. Please call: 0300 999 1212.

 
Counselling and psychotherapy

DocHealth

A confidential service providing psychotherapeutic consultation service for all doctors, with senior clinicians. This service is delivered by Consultant Medical Psychotherapists based at BMA House in London. You can:

It’s Good to Talk

A tool to find qualified counsellors and psychotherapists close to where you live. Please call: 01455 883 300.

Health for Health Professional Wales (HHP)

The HHP Wales helpline is a confidential face to face counselling service for all doctors in Wales. It provides doctors with access to a BABCP accredited therapist in their area. Please call: 0800 0582 738.

 
Medical royal colleges
Medical royal colleges have their own support services for members, so please check the college websites for details, such as:

Psychiatrist Support Service

A free, confidential support service for psychiatrists who find themselves in difficulty or in need of support. You can:

 
Finance support

The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF)

The RMBF provide financial support, money advice and information for doctors, medical students and their families when needed due to age, ill health, disability and bereavement. You can:

BMA Charities

The BMA Charities help all doctors, and their dependents, and medical students in times of financial crisis. You can:

The Cameron Fund

The Cameron Fund provide support to current and retired GPs and their families in times of financial distress, whether through ill-health, disability, death or loss of employment. You can:

Miscellaneous support

Samaritans

Confidential emotional support 24 hours a day. A network of national branches also provides drop-in face-to-face listening support. You can:

No Panic

A registered charity which helps people who suffer from panic attacks, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorders and other related anxiety disorder. You can:

 
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Related content

Health assessments Find out more about our health assessments process.
Refer yourself or another doctor If you think you need to refer yourself or another doctor to us for a health concern, you can do this here.