Support resources
- What's involved
- 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.
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:
- call: 020 7383 6707
- email: doctorsupportservice@bma.org.uk.
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.
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)
- call: 0800 716 646
- email: advisory@themdu.com.
The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS)
- call: 0333 043 4444
- email: advice@mddus.com.
The Medical Protection Society (MPS)
- call: 0800 5619 090
- email: querydoc@medicalprotection.org.
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 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:
- call: 0300 030 3300
- email: england.phpadmin@nhs.net
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.
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:
- call: 0300 123 3393
- email: info@mind.org.uk.
Rethink Mental Illness
Rethink provide expert, accredited advice and information to anyone affected by mental health problems. You can:
- call: 0300 5000 927
- email: info@rethink.org.
SANE
A leading UK mental health charity working to improve quality of life for anyone affected by mental illness. You can:
- call: 020 3805 1790
- email: info@sane.org.uk.
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:
- call: 07825 107 970
- email: bddg@btinternet.com.
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:
- call: 0370 444 5163
- email: help@sick-doctors-trust.co.uk.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
AA is a free nationwide service which assists in recovery and continued sobriety of individual alcoholics. You can:
- call: 0800 9177 650
- email: help@aamail.org.
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.
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:
- call: 020 7383 6533
- email: enquiries@dochealth.org.uk.
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.
Psychiatrist Support Service
A free, confidential support service for psychiatrists who find themselves in difficulty or in need of support. You can:
- call: 020 7245 0412
- email: pss@rcpsych.ac.uk.
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:
- call: 020 8540 9194
- email: info@rmbf.org.
BMA Charities
The BMA Charities help all doctors, and their dependents, and medical students in times of financial crisis. You can:
- call: 020 7383 6142
- email: info.bmacharities@bma.org.uk.
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:
- call: 020 7388 0796
- email: info@cameronfund.org.uk.
Samaritans
Confidential emotional support 24 hours a day. A network of national branches also provides drop-in face-to-face listening support. You can:
- call: 116 123
- email: jo@samaritans.org
No Panic
A registered charity which helps people who suffer from panic attacks, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorders and other related anxiety disorder. You can:
- call: 0844 9674848
- email: admin@nopanic.org.uk