Supporting GPs’ mental health

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The past 20 months have been an extremely stressful time for many GPs and their practice teams with a significant impact on mental health. We have continued to promote the message that Londonwide LMCs are here to help and are appreciative of everyone’s efforts to provide the best care they can during this time.

Our GP Professional Support Network (GPPSN) platform is coming up to its one-year anniversary this month and so far it has proven to be a very beneficial source of support for GPs who are under pressure in their working lives. The platform provides a number of services and is hosting many upcoming events for our constituents including:
– Peer to peer professional advice and support from a network of experience GPs.
– Talking therapy support.
– Professional coaching.
– Wellbeing webinars.
– Friendship circle events.

Take a look at our medical director Dr Richard Stacey’s account of a participant’s positive experience of using the GPPSN platform here.

Medical Director Dr Sara Riley said: “A doctor who is working under great stress or who has burned out and stopped working suffers personally but is almost always more concerned about the effect this has on their family, friends, practice colleague and patients. Self-care requires active attention to our well-being, and then action to seek out others who can support our professional and personal development.”

World Suicide Prevention Day is taking place on 10 September this year, which is a timely prompt to focus on mental health, although our support service is there for GPs with a range of problems, not just at the point of crisis.

Further details about the GPPSN can be found here.