Our UK directory of support services is specifically for doctors and medical students. Find a service local to you.
There are lots of organisations, services, websites, and helplines that offer support to doctors and medical students in need. Ordered alphabetically by topic.
Addiction
NHS web page linking to alcohol support services (non-medic specific).
British Doctors and Dentists Group
A service for recovering alcoholic and drug-dependent doctors, dentists, and students.
NHS web page linking to drug support services (non-medic specific).
NHS web page linking to gambling support services (non-medic specific).
Support and help for doctors, dentists, and medical students who are concerned about their use of alcohol and other drugs.
Bereavement
Dealing with grief and loss - NHS
A useful NHS guide to coping with grief and loss (non-medic specific).
For doctors: managing your wellbeing
A film by Child Bereavement UK aims to support doctors' wellbeing whilst working in the face of loss, grief, and bereavement. Film funded by BMA Giving.
Supporting the mental wellbeing of medical practitioners and doctors’ families bereaved by suicide.
Counselling and support
Balint groups help health professionals gain a better understanding of the emotional content of their relationship with patients.
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Search for counsellors in your area (non-medic specific).
BMA Wellbeing support services
Confidential, free 24/7 telephone counselling line and peer support service for all doctors and medical students. BMA members can also access a free structured course of up to six sessions of therapy with a counsellor.
Free and confidential mental health support service for social and health care staff in Wales.
Confidential psychotherapeutic consultation service for doctors. Fees based on your grade and circumstances.
Support group for any medical professional facing suspension, exclusion, investigation of complaints, or allegations of professional misconduct.
Doctors' Support Network (DSN)
Confidential peer group for doctors with mental health concerns.
Free and confidential psychological support for frontline staff.
HSC staff health and wellbeing (Northern Ireland)
Psychological helplines for health and social care staff in Northern Ireland.
NHS Practitioner Health - England
Free, confidential NHS mental health and addiction service for health and care professionals.
NHS psychological therapies (IAPT services)
Free psychological therapies on the NHS (non-medic specific).
Free, confidential psychological support sessions for NHS staff.
Refuge National Domestic Abuse Helpline
Call 0808 2000 247 for free and confidential advice 24/7 (non-medic specific).
Whatever you're going through, call 116 123 free 24/7.
Staff mental health and wellbeing hubs
The staff mental health and wellbeing hubs have been set up to provide health and social care colleagues rapid access to assessment and local evidence-based mental health services and support where needed.
Coaching and mentoring for NHS leaders.
Confidential mental health service for health and social care staff in Scotland.
Disabilities
Acas guide on disability discrimination
Advice for employers and employees on disability discrimination at work.
Disability information and support services – NHS
Find disability information and support services near you (non-medic specific).
Supports the welfare, rights and inclusion of chronically ill and physically disabled doctors and medical students.
Doctors and dentists with disabilities
A collection of resources and information for doctors and dentists who identify as having a disability, pulled together by NHS Practitioner Health.
Equal opportunities
Association of LGBT Doctors and Dentists. Offers help/support/advice or simply the opportunity to make social contact with other lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender doctors and dentists.
Promoting diversity in medicine, widening aspirations and aiding career progression. Supporting African and Caribbean aspiring medics, medical students and doctors in the UK.
The voice of UK medical women on medical issues. Improving the working lives of women doctors.
Finances
A group of charities established to help all doctors and their families in times of need.
A charity for doctors who are, or have been, general practitioners, and for their dependants. It offers help in times of poverty, hardship or distress. The Fund aims to meet the needs of its beneficiaries in the fullest and most practical ways possible.
Find a specialist Medical Accountant, Financial Adviser or Mortgage adviser specialising in doctors and medical professionals.
MoneyHelper Service for NHS staff
NHS people can call a support line, provided by the MoneyHelper Service, for free and impartial money guidance. Support also available via WhatsApp and Webchat.
Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF)
UK charity for doctors, medical students and their families. Provide financial support, money advice and information when needed due to age, ill health, disability and bereavement. Following a BMA Giving grant, they currently have a dedicated mental health support fund for doctors whose mental health conditions are affecting their ability to work – apply for financial support.
A medical benevolent charity which assists UK medical practitioners and their dependants who find themselves in financial hardship.
Society for Assistance of Medical Families
Membership society assisting doctors and the families of doctors in times of hardship.
Legal issues
A charity that helps to find free legal assistance from volunteer barristers (non-medic specific).
Independent, proactive legal advice for members and non-members on wide-ranging issues from GMC investigation support to personal injury. Preferential rates offered to BMA members.
Medical Defence Union (for MDU members only)
Expert help and advice on medico-legal and ethical matters including handling complaints, claims, and GMC cases.
Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (for MDDUS members only)
Access to expert medico-legal advice and professional indemnity including support with patient complaints and disciplinary matters.
Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service
Information and support for doctors who have a hearing as part of a GMC investigation.
Medical Protection Society (for MPS members only)
Comprehensive professional indemnity and expert advice.
Online tools
An app to support doctors and medical students in their decision-making about whether to speak to someone about their mental health.
Professional skills and career development modules.
Guides and resources for doctors who receive a complaint
NHS Practitioner Health guides and resources for doctors facing a complaint or investigation.
Mentoring guidance for doctors
Overview of the benefits of mentoring, how to find a mentor or become one.
Practical advice and tips to help NHS leaders and line managers support better mental health.
Short 10-20 minute guides to improve your wellbeing and experience of work.
Advice on a variety of subjects regarding your health and wellbeing.
Information, guidance, and signposting to help with the impact of patient safety incidents.
GMC information and advice for doctors who have concerns about their own health.
Facebook group for UK doctors experiencing long covid symptoms.
Free apps for NHS staff.
Advice, guidance, and discussion on mental health and wellness topics for doctors.
Professional support units
There are local services provided by your postgraduate education provider that can support you with your health and wellbeing during your training.
Find these in our UK wellbeing support directory.
Royal colleges
Association of Anaesthetists - Wellbeing and support
Information and guidance on your wellbeing.
Confidential Support and Advice for Surgeons
Telephone helpline from the Royal College of Surgeons providing confidential support from a counsellor or peer-to-peer support from a surgical colleague.
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Informal peer-to-peer support for members seeking guidance on workplace issues, interpersonal difficulties, return to work options, or non-clinical concerns.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists mental health page
User-friendly and evidence-based information on mental health problems, treatments, and other topics.
Psychiatrists' Support Service, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Confidential peer support provided by telephone to psychiatrists of all grades who may be experiencing personal or work-related difficulties.
Speaking up
Freedom to Speak Up Guardians support workers to speak up when they feel that they are unable to do so by other routes. Find contact details for your FTSU Guardian in the National Guardian’s directory.
A UK charity providing a free and confidential whistleblowing advice line.
A free, independent and confidential helpline for people working in NHS and Social Care organisations in England.
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