Doctors health and wellbeing - doctors for doctors relaunched
28 June 2005
The Doctors for Doctors Unit has relaunched its service at the BMA'a annual meeting today. The Unit's Head, Dr Michael Peters, said that although the Unit has been running for some time, it was entering a new and exciting time in offering help to doctors in difficulty for whatever reason.
There are two parts to the service - the counselling service and doctors for doctors. The counselling service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is staffed by professional telephone counsellors who can deal with a variety of issues including the pressures and stresses of work, mental health, alcohol or drug misuse.
Doctors for doctors is an enhancement of the counselling service allowing doctors in distress or difficulty the choice of speaking in confidence to another doctor. The doctor advisers work to help enquirers to take a holistic approach to their situation, to gain insight into their problems as well as getting support and help.
"I know there are a lot of doctors out there who are in pain and distress," he said, adding that he hoped the profession was at the beginning of a culture shift where more doctors would feel comfortable seeking help.
For more details of the service, including links to sources of further advice, members can see the Unit's web pages here. You will need to login.