Your health matters Practical tips ad sources of support
Your health matters Medicie is a challegig ad stressful professio ad doctors are at particular risk of certai health problems as a result. This leaflet offers some useful tips ad cotacts for whe you, or your colleagues, are fidig it difficult to get the balace right. Doctors are at icreased risk of some health problems do t wait to ask for help if you eed it Most doctors are i good health. But the very qualities that make a good doctor, such as empathy ad attetio to detail, ca also make you more vulerable to stresses ad burout or to turig to drugs or alcohol. Pressures withi the healthcare system, such as the ofte rapid pace of chage, ca also cotribute. If you are fidig it difficult to cope for ay reaso, please do t wait to seek support. If, with the right support, you are able to maage a health problem so that the care that you give your patiets is ot affected, the your fitess to practise wo t be affected. So there will be o eed for us to be ivolved or eve to kow about it. For example, if you seek ad comply with appropriate treatmet ad restrict your practice as ecessary util you have recovered. However, if you do t seek support ad the situatio worses, there could be serious, log-term cosequeces.
NHS Photo Library If thigs get worse, there could be serious cosequeces A small umber of doctors are referred or refer themselves to us each year because of their health ad we deal with these as sesitively as we ca, icludig gettig expert advice o the situatio ad dealig with it cofidetially. We are here to protect patiets, ot to puish doctors. So, wherever possible, we wat to support doctors recovery ad retur to safe practice. We have a umber of ways that we try to work with doctors with health coditios that are, or may be, affectig their fitess to practise to achieve this. We have developed a ew website to make it as clear as possible what happes whe we eed to ivestigate whether a doctor s fitess to practise medicie is compromised by a health problem. The website sets out what happes ad how we protect your cofidetiality, who is ivolved, ad icludes some real case studies of doctors who have bee through the procedures. You ca look at this at www.gmc-uk.org/yourhealthmatters.
Keep the card at the ed of this booklet with you. I times of difficulty, call either service to speak to a adviser aoymously ad i cofidece. We uderstad that havig your regulator questio your fitess to practise will always be stressful ad upsettig, but we hope that makig the process as clear as possible will help. If you thik patiets might be at risk, you ca call us i cofidece We ru a cofidetial, aoymous advice lie that you ca call Moday to Friday, 9 am 5 pm, for advice o what to do if you have cocers about a doctor. You do ot have to tell us your ame or the ame of the perso you are callig about. You ca call us o 0161 923 6602 or email practise@gmc-uk.org. There are some practical ways you ca reduce your risk Make sure you are registered with a GP ad trust them to give you cofidetial help. Seek help as early as possible whe you are uwell ad avoid self-diagosis ad self-prescribig for aythig but mior ailmets. Note early warig sigs of illess ad take them seriously. For example, feelig low or irritable, or havig poor cocetratio ad low eergy may be sigs of burout.
We ru a cofidetial, aoymous advice lie that you ca call. Avoid corridor cosultatios with colleagues. If you thik you eed to cosult a doctor the do so i privacy. Be sesitive to the eeds of your colleagues ad ecourage them to seek help if you are cocered about their health. If you are worried about your drikig, or someoe close to you has raised cocers about it, the the chaces are that you are drikig too much. Get help before it gets out of cotrol. Try to maitai a healthy worklife balace. If you develop problems it may help to try sharig with frieds, colleagues or family.
Where to go for support If you eed someoe to talk to about your health or that of a colleague, the followig orgaisatios provide cofidetial support ad advice to doctors i the UK. Associatio of Aaesthetists of Great Britai ad Irelad 020 7631 1650 Members ca cotact the orgaisatio about ay health ad well-beig issues. Email: wellbeig@aagbi.org www.aagbi.org/memberswellbeig.htm British Doctors ad Detists Group 07792 819966 A mutual support society for doctors ad detists who are recoverig, or wish to recover, from addictio to or depedecy o alcohol or other drugs. Email: jpsecbddg@gmx.co.uk www.bddg.org British Iteratioal Doctors Associatio 0161 456 7828 Promotes equality ad fairess for all doctors ad detists workig i the UK. Email: bida@btcoect.com www.bidaolie.co.uk Doctors Support Network Fully cofidetial, friedly self-help group for doctors with metal health cocers. Email: ifo@ds.org.uk www.ds.org.uk Mid 0300 123 3393 Mid, the metal health charity, esures that ayoe with a metal health problem has somewhere to tur for advice ad support. Email: ifo@mid.org.uk www.mid.org.uk GP Health Service 0300 0303 300 A free, cofidetial service for GPs ad GP traiees. The service offers specialist metal health support for a rage of coditios, icludig commo ad complex metal health coditios ad substace misuse. Email: gp.health@hs.et www.eglad.hs.uk/gphealthservice Practitioer Health Programme 020 3049 4505 Free ad cofidetial services for doctors livig i a Lodo borough with a metal health, addictio or physical health problem affectig their work. Referrals from the NHS outside the area are also accepted o a cost per case basis. Cotact form: http://php.hs.uk/cotact-us www.php.hs.uk
BMA Cousellig ad the Doctor Advisor Service 0330 123 1245 www.bma.org.uk/doctorsfordoctors Psychiatrists Support Service 020 7245 0412 A free, cofidetial support service for members, traiee members ad associates of the Royal College of Psychiatrists who fid themselves i difficulty. Email: phsychiatristssupportservice@rcpsych.ac.uk Rethik 0300 5000 927 Offers expert, accredited advice ad iformatio o everythig from treatmet ad care to beefits ad employmet rights to everyoe affected by metal health problems. Email: ifo@rethik.org.uk www.rethik.org Royal Medical Beevolet Fud 020 8540 9194 Offers support to members of the medical professio ad their depedats who are i fiacial hardship as a result of illess, disability or other uexpected crisis. Email: help@rmbf.org www.rmbf.org Royal Medical Foudatio 01372 821 010 Supports doctors ad their depedats who fid themselves i fiacial hardship. Email: caseworker@royalmedicalfoudatio.org Fax: 01372 821 013
BMA Cousellig ad the Doctor Advisor Service are completely cofidetial. They are available to all doctors ad medical studets, eve if they are ot members of the BMA. Email: gmc@gmc-uk.org Website: www.gmc-uk.org Telephoe: 0161 923 6602 Published May 2014 Geeral Medical Coucil, 350 Eusto Road, Lodo NW1 3JN The GMC is a charity registered i Eglad ad Wales (1089278) ad Scotlad (SC037750) GMC/YHM/1215