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Doctors’ health matters
April 2007
BMA Counselling Service and Doctors for Doctors Unit
The BMA provides confidential support and counselling for doctors in distress or difficulty through the counselling service. The BMA Counselling Service is staffed by professional telephone counsellors, 24-hours a day, seven days a week. All counsellors are members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and are bound by strict codes of confidentiality and ethical practice. The counsellors are qualified to deal with a wide variety of issues including the pressures and stresses of work – and the impact of this on family life – relationship problems, concerns about children and other family members, and issues relating to mental health. The service can also help address alcohol or drug misuse, and provides information about other specialist resources available.
The Doctors for Doctors Unit is an enhancement of the BMA Counselling Service giving doctors in distress or difficulty the choice of speaking in confidence to another doctor. The Unit comprises the Doctors Advisory Service and direct referrals to the medical director of the Unit, Dr Michael Peters. The doctor-adviser works with distressed doctors to gain insight into their problems, while supporting and helping them to move on by adopting a holistic approach to your situation.
A wide range of problems are dealt with such as drug and alcohol problems, bullying at work and mental health issues, as well as with doctors who have been referred to the GMC or the NCAS. Recent evidence shows that some of the most common problem areas experienced by doctors contacting the Unit include stress, physical illness, depression, alcoholism and bullying. The Unit is wide ranging and currently receives calls from doctors of all specialties, ethnic backgrounds and genders.
Although the doctor-advisers do not provide diagnoses or treatment, inevitably any interaction will have a therapeutic aspect. The Doctors for Doctors service is completely confidential and is not linked to any other external or internal agencies. Any data recorded is anonymised and used to focus resources appropriately and for lobbying to improve services for doctors’ health issues. However, if a doctor-adviser learns that patients may be in danger, he or she has a duty, as a doctor to act to prevent harm. The doctor-adviser will try to encourage the doctor to change whatever presents a risk to the patient. Failure on the doctor’s part to give an undertaking to stop putting patients at risk will mean that the doctor-adviser will have to take advice on how to act, and this may be by contacting the GMC.
Doctor-advisers who work with the Doctors for Doctors service have agreed to provide their services on a voluntary basis and are not employees or agents of the BMA. Accordingly, the BMA cannot be held responsible for any acts or omissions by any of those doctor-advisers. Although the Unit works to ensure that the contact details of doctor-advisers are kept up to date, it cannot accept any responsibility should a doctor-adviser not be available.
Contact information BMA Counselling Service (24-hours a day, seven days a week) and Doctors for Doctors. Telephone: 08459 200 169 (calls charged at local rates)
Dr Michael Peters, medical director of the Doctors for Doctors service, is usually available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to provide more information or to discuss issues with you. This would usually be by telephone, but doctors who are able to visit in person are welcome to do so by appointment. For an appointment, please call 020 7383 6739, or email here to info.d4d@bma.org.uk.