There are a huge variety of support offers available to GPs and it can sometimes be difficult to navigate the various options. We have listed key local and national support below with a brief description to guide you in deciding which service may be right for you.
Devon LMC Coaching Service
Devon LMC are currently running a dedicated GP Coaching Programme funded by NHS England. It is primarily aimed at GPs who have reached a crossroads in their career and would value a series of structured sessions to support their development. The scheme can be accessed directly through the LMC office and following an initial telephone discussion to assess suitability, GPs will be offered up to 4 x 1 hour coaching sessions with an ILM5 or equivalent level qualified coach.
Devon LMC Professional Support Service
This confidential service from Devon LMC provides support and guidance to GPs, Practice Managers, and other members. If you are struggling with internal strife within a partnership, burnout, or your personal workload is threatening to become unmanageable our Professional support offices can provide agile support tailored to your specific needs.
Devon GP Wellbeing Programme
In order to support our GP colleagues, a programme is being run to help identify and support GPs under stress before their health or performance suffers.
Under this initiative GP appraisers are being encouraged to explore wellbeing with their appraisees, and have been provided with the training, guidance and resources to do this in a sensitive and supportive way. Please use your appraisal as an opportunity to reflect upon your own wellbeing and identify what you need to do to keep well.
You will also be able to directly access wellbeing focused coaching and/or one-off professional support and wellbeing sessions. Of course, you will still be able to access all the existing services (such as the Practitioner Health Programme and support from the LMC).
We are all increasingly concerned about the wellbeing of our GP colleagues. We know what great work you all do and the pressure you’re under. It’s completely understandable to feel stressed at this difficult time for the NHS, and it’s ok not to be ok. All we ask is that if you’re not ok, please do something about it: discuss your wellbeing at appraisal, talk to colleagues, seek out the support you need. Help is available. If you’re having a difficult time, we believe that accessing support can make all the difference.
If you would like to know more about this programme, please email vik.mohan@nhs.net
If you would like to access support (or signpost someone to us) please email grace.adams3@nhs.net
BMA Counselling & Peer Support Service
BMA Counselling & Peer Support Service
- 24/7 counselling helpline – FREE – no BMA membership required. An opportunity to talk through any issues you may be having with a counsellor registered with the BACP. The aim is to provide you with space and time to talk about your concerns and provide guidance and mindfulness techniques that will help you in the present.
- Structured course of therapy with a counsellor – FOR BMA MEMBERS ONLY – Following a clinical assessment, BMA members can access up to 6 sessions (50 minutes each) with the same counsellor via telephone or video call. Counsellors are registered with the BACP and use a solution-focused approach in therapy, focussing on the here and now.
- Peer Support Service – FREE – no BMA membership required. The most common reason is for help dealing with difficult working relationships or work and study pressures. You can speak in confidence to another doctor. This is peer support with an emotional focus. BMA peer support doctors provide a reflective space and work with you to gain insight into your problems. They do not offer diagnosis or treatment but can signpost to other services.
Devon Wellbeing Hub
This service is for all staff working in healthcare, social care and the police in Devon. They offer a confidential service where you can discuss concerns, worries or issues that may be work or non-work related. You will be offered an initial 1:1 telephone/video wellbeing assessment lasting around 45 minutes. A colleague wellbeing practitioner will work with you to develop a Colleague Wellbeing Plan with next steps, which may include referral onwards or signposting to a range of services according to your needs. These include Talkworks, or Practitioner Health. A full list of resources you may be referred to is here
Practitioner Health Programme
- Practitioner Health is a free, confidential NHS primary care mental health and addiction service with expertise in treating health & care professionals.
- They can provide comprehensive assessments and treatment of a wide range of mental health and addiction issues. This may include, and depending on the individual circumstances, a referral for talking therapy, group therapy, prescription medication, inpatient rehabilitation, fit notes.
- Initial triage assessment is via an online form on their website or via telephone call. This may result in referral directly for talking therapies or sometimes for a full clinical assessment. Waiting times for a full assessment may be several weeks depending on demand. They are not an emergency service.
DocHealth
This is a confidential, not for profit, psychotherapeutic consultation service for all practising doctors. It is delivered by Consultant Medical Psychotherapists. The service offers up to six online sessions, flexibly applied, with expert signposting to longer term support and liaison with other health services where needed. Treatment interventions are tailored to the individual in the context of a supportive relationship. Fees are charged according to grade; support may be available in cases of financial hardship.
You OK, Doc?
A free, confidential, 24/7 text support service for doctors. Staffed by trained volunteers who will work with you to take your next steps towards feeling better. We can help with issues such as stress, anxiety and depression and are here to talk at any time of day or night.
Doctors in Distress
A UK based independent charity that promotes and protects the mental health of all healthcare workers and prevents suicides in the medical profession. Runs a variety of group programmes that can be accessed virtually.
Balint Groups
- Balint Groups offer structured reflective spaces to discuss cases with a focus on some of the unique challenges GPs experience in interactions with patients. They are not therapy but many participants find them helpful in managing the emotional impacts of working as a GP.
- The Balint group is a highly developed and tested method of small-group consultation analysis that aims specifically to focus on the emotional content, not just of single consultations but of ongoing doctor–patient relationships. Many doctors who have had the experience of Balint training attest to the lifelong benefits that it can bring in terms of interest in patients’ lives, self-knowledge, job satisfaction and prevention of ‘burn out’. (RCGP – Professional Topic Guides)
- There are several Balint Groups currently running in Devon. If you are interested in joining, we can put you in touch as openings arise. Please register your interest by emailing us at devon.traininghub@nhs.net
- The Balint Society
