GP Professional Support Network

Londonwide LMCs’ GP Professional Support Network provides a single point of online access to match GPs with the most appropriate form of professional support for them. The service is open to all GPs who work within the areas of London covered by Londonwide LMCs, providing confidential, expert and impartial one-to-one advice and support to any individual GP.

You can visit the website at this address: https://londonwide.onpld.com/.

GPs can encounter a range of challenges and difficulties which may require support, guidance and information, for example they work in a complex regulatory environment and sometimes need guiding through specific rules and processes. This blog from one of our peer supporters gives some examples of the sorts of ways they can help.

However one of the main aims of the GP Professional Support Network is to encourage GPs to seek help early, before small issues develop into big problems. A peer to peer conversation from another GP can support and signpost them to help manage changes in their career, such as switching jobs, or changes in their personal life which may impact on their work, such as having a loved one who has developed long-term care needs.

After registering GPs can access:

  • GP support services
  • Peer to peer professional advice and support
  • Educational support and supervision
  • Professional coaching
  • Talking therapy support

The services offered are either directly provided by Londonwide LMCs’ GP Support Team or by matching GPs with a carefully selected network of other GPs and organisations, who work independently of Londonwide LMCs.

Registering with the platform and linking to any of the services is free to Londonwide LMCs’ constituent GPs, along with the GP Support Team’s services, the peer to peer support service and the first three talking therapy sessions. There are some costs for other professional services, payable to the provider, once a client GP has been linked with them. Details are clearly available on the site.

The GP Professional Support Network has been developed by a multi-disciplinary team at Londonwide LMCs led by Dr Sara Riley and Dr Richard Stacey.

You can visit the website at: https://londonwide.onpld.com/.

If you have any queries please contact Rizwana Ahmed at Londonwide LMCs: rizwana.ahmed@lmc.org.uk.

The following directory of resources is on the main GPPSN site and is reproduced here for ease of reference:

Clinical/Educational Supervision

Glossary for undertakings and conditions

Assurance assessments

Performance assessments

Clinical Supervisor Report GP (Word Doc)

Educational Supervisor Report GP (Word Doc)

Clinical Supervision Handbook (PDF)

Appraisal and Revalidation

Independent Doctors Federation

Helping us, help you, to help a colleague

Looking after you too
Coaching for all members of the Primary care team.

One Life Lost Is Enough
Support and Help for those in Distress and those concerned about a Colleague.

HEY, R U OK?
A short Australian video on how to support colleagues.

NHS staff well-being hubs

London NHS staff well-being hubs

Support services for GPs and their practices

RCGP – Primary Care Development (support services)

Support for practitioners – NHS Resolution

Health resources

Doctors in Distress
Doctors in distress provide mental health support for all health workers across the UK through confidential, facilitated peer support groups.

Project 5
NHS England partnered with Project 5 to make free 1-2-1, confidential support sessions available for NHS people. Project 5 is led by Clinicians and coaches and can link you to professionals with the skills to assist at a time of crisis. FREE, independent and confidential solution and wellbeing support provided, up to 3 sessions when you need them.

Bright Sky – Finding calm amongst the chaos
This short collection of videos is designed to provide you with simple tools and techniques to reduce stress wherever you are and effectively using what little time you may have to attend to it.

NHS Practitioner Health
A confidential service for all NHS primary healthcare staff in England, providing access to support for those with mental health problems, particularly when the condition may affect their work.
Please click here for a brief overview of the service (PDF download).

Health Education England – Practitioner Health Programme (London)
A psychoeducation and support service which aims to offer a range of interventions to support trainees on programmes managed by Health Education England Local Offices in London & the South East.

BMA – Wellbeing Support
The service offers confidential support with issues such as: stress and anxiety, bullying, bereavement, relationship issues, alcohol or substance abuse, depression and isolation provided professional telephone counsellors who are all members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Sick Doctors Trust
The service provides support to doctors who have difficulties relation to drug and/or alcohol problems.

British Doctors & Dentists Group
A mutual/self-help group of doctors and dentists, who are addicted to alcohol and/or drugs and who are living, or wish to live, in a recovery programme free of alcohol and drugs.

DocHealth
DocHealth is a confidential, not for profit, psychotherapeutic consultation service for all doctors delivered by Consultant Medical Psychotherapists based at BMA House in London.

Doctors’ Support Network
The service offers peer support for doctors and medical students with mental health concerns.

BMA maternity, paternity and adoption
Covers leave, pay, pensions and various other aspects of people taking leave while on NHS and non-NHS contracts of employment.

Support with GMC investigations

GMC investigation support – Doctor support service (BMA)
The service provides confidential, emotional support for doctors who have become the subject of a GMC investigation.

The GMC investigation process

NHS England Investigations

Medical defence organisations

Financial advice and support

Help me, I’m a doctor
Brings together five independent charities that support doctors when they need confidential financial assistance.

The Society for the Assistance of Medical Families
The Society (originally founded in 1788) exists to help doctors and their families in times of need.

The Cameron Fund
The Cameron Fund is the GPs’ own charity that supports general practitioners and their dependents.

Royal Medical Benevolent Fund
The RMBF provides support for doctors and their families through all stages of their career and beyond providing help ranging from financial assistance in the form of grants and loans to a telephone befriending scheme for those who may be isolated and in need of support.

Royal Medical Foundation
The RMF Provides assistance to doctors in financial difficulty.

Professional Boundaries and Probity

Bespoke probity support for doctors | Oxford Medical
Bespoke support packages for doctors undergoing investigation or hearings for behavioural issues such as probity, ethics or professional boundaries. These are usually based on a set of 1-to-1 sessions with an experienced tutor, an accredited CPD certificate and written report. A broad range of standard courses are also available.

Clinic for Boundaries Studies
The Clinic for Boundary Studies provides training and other services for professionals facing difficulties relating to professional boundaries, ethics, conduct and career challenges.

Wellbeing resources