Below is a list of resources that are available for NHS staff who are struggling with different areas of well-being including mental health, financial difficulties, and allegations of misconduct or complaints.
Support for Mental Health
NHS England » Staff mental health and wellbeing hubs
These hubs have been created to provide NHS staff with quick and easy access to mental health assessment and support services, such as talking therapy or counselling. Hub assessments are confidential and free of charge for NHS staff. You can self-refer or refer a colleague (as long as you have their consent).
NHS England » Looking after you too
Coaching is available for all NHS staff – the coaches can work with you on any area of your well-being that you feel needs some support. Your coach will help you develop practical strategies to manage your situation. This can help with anything from individual pressures and challenges (including in your relationships), to coping with the demands of the system, to building a better work/life balance, to techniques for managing stress.
NHS England » Support available for our NHS people
The NHS now provides a confidential 24/7 text support service available to all NHS staff who feel they need some support immediately. Text FRONTLINE to 85258 to get started.
Provides free and confidential counselling and peer support services for all doctors and medical students in the UK (including their partners and dependents). Call 0330 123 1245 to talk to someone 24/7.
Provides free and confidential mental health support for NHS and social care staff living in Wales.
The Doctors’ Support Network - Home page (dsn.org.uk)
A peer support network for UK-based doctors and medical students who are struggling with their mental health.
Provides a confidential, psychotherapeutic consultation service for all practising doctors (not including medical students) living in the UK. Aims to provide greater control of your situation by providing a greater understanding of your mental health struggles.
Wellbeing and mental health for Nurses (practitionerhealth.nhs.uk)
This page provides a list of a range of resources available specifically for nurses.
Provides free and confidential mental health and addiction support services for NHS primary care staff. They can provide help and guidance for a range of mental health illnesses, including addictions, personality disorders, psychosis, and bipolar affective disorder.
About the Trust (sick-doctors-trust.co.uk)
Provides support to doctors struggling with addictions to alcohol and other drugs. They offer practical guidance to help with treatment and recovery.
Apps
Headspace, UnMind and Big Health offer subscriptions free of charge for NHS staff.
Financial Help
Provides financial assistance to doctors and their families who are going through times of particular hardship. Methods of financial assistance include regular payments for widows and widowers, one-off grants for emergency help, and assistance with school fees for children of doctors whose families are going through a period of great upheaval and distress.
Get Help - Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (rmbf.org)
Provides financial help for doctors and medical students.
The Cameron Fund | The GPs’ Own Charity
Provides financial support specifically for GPs and their families in circumstances such as ill-health, disability, death, or unemployment.
Financial Help – The Queen’s Nursing Institute (qni.org.uk)
Provides grants to nurses going through periods of personal crisis. This can be for a variety of reasons including illness, domestic abuse, divorce, or bereavement.
Support for alleged professional misconduct or complaints, or referral to the GMC
Doctor’s Support Group NHS Suspensions NCAS (doctorssupportgroup.com)
Provides support for doctors who are at risk or suspension or exclusion due to investigation of complaints or allegations of professional misconduct.
Your health matters - GMC (gmc-uk.org)
Helps doctors who either have been referred, or need to self-refer, due to a health condition which is affecting their ability to practise.
NHS England » Supporting our staff to help money go further
This page from NHS England has a list of some of the top tools and resources to help you cope with financial worries. There is a range of financial support and ideas to help members of NHS staff who are feeling concerned about their finances.
NHS England » Financial wellbeing
This page has all the contact details for NHS staff to be able to contact the NHS support line, provided by the MoneyHelper Service, for free and impartial money guidance. The telephone lines are open from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. There is also a WhatsApp service and a Webchat option. The page also has links to other tools and resources available from the MoneyHelper Service.
Support for BAME NHS Staff
NHS England » Support for our diverse colleagues
The NHS offers support and guidance specifically for colleagues from diverse backgrounds. This page offers a list of resources available to help with different areas of wellbeing, including support from coaching and counselling.
About BIDA | British Internationa (bidaonline.co.uk)
Protects and promotes the interests of UK-based doctors and dentists who are from ethnic minority backgrounds.