Mental health support for NHS staff is complex & having a specialised treatment service like Practitioner Health is more than helpful when local Occupational Health services are assessing fitness to work for doctors who have a safety critical role Chris Hopson NHS Practitioner Health

Mental health support for NHS staff is complex & having a specialised treatment service like Practitioner Health is more than helpful when local Occupational Health services are assessing fitness to work for doctors who have a safety critical role Chris Hopson NHS Practitioner Health

We are deeply disappointed to hear this important service is set to close to new NHS staff referrals from secondary care and are sharing our concerns with NHS England. Mental health support is as vital now as ever 1/2

Equally worrying that the distressing news is that there is no clear alternative route by which all healthcare staff can access timely, evidence-based care for #mentalhealth difficulties. Stopping a successful programme with no credible, defined, alternative is nonsensical.

Have you read the @SOMnews revised guide for managers supporting people with Long Covid back to work? We highly recommend it: som.org.uk/sites/som.org.…
#CareForThoseWhoCared

The pandemic produced a surge of mental health issues amongst NHS staff. Locally our staff mental health service has been in massive demand and is a fantastic innovation. It beggars belief that a program such as NHS Practitioner Health would be withdrawn at this point.

Chris Hopson NHS Practitioner Health @NHS There is a postcode lottery on employer health + well-being schemes. It can take months in deprived trusts to get even a counsellor appt. Many occy health depts barely have a dr/prescribing. PHP cuts through all that. Local support sounds great but means nothing if alone for ages

Chris Hopson NHS Practitioner Health @NHS It’s pretty clear from the comments that existing trust based services are not adequate and that practitioner health has been filling the gap. I’m afraid it doesn’t feel like NHS England is ‘committed to ensuring doctors get the mental health support they need’.

Chris this absolutely isn't happening. am aware of many NHS trusts needing to reduce the mental health support they offer. &I'm not sure any offer a comprehensive service like NHS Practitioner Health I don't think NHS England is committed to supporting the mental health of those who care.

Dr Rachel Clarke Victoria Atkins Amanda Pritchard NHS England NHS Practitioner Health Just noting the BMA report on occupational physician supply. Described as 'dire'
bma.org.uk/what-we-do/com….

💥 NHS STAFF 💥

Please consider signing this open letter to Victoria Atkins & Amanda Pritchard at NHS England expressing your dismay at their extraordinary decision to cut NHS Practitioner Health funding for hospital staff.

Please share widely 🙏

Letter here:

forms.gle/YmXpi8dxSbW7UR…

The fact that Practitioner Health costs 0.007% of the NHS budget to run shows this has nothing to do with money, and everything to do with further devaluing and demoralising staff.
I have signed this open letter and I hope you do too. We cannot afford to lose this service.

. NHS Practitioner Health has helped so many of my medical colleagues.

32,000 doctors & dentists helped Clare Gerada

#NHS is monopoly employer of docs in training. They need this amazing mental health service.

If it’s a pure economic decision, going to cost £££ in sick leave absences.

Bad move

hsj.co.uk/workforce/nhse…

Given the increasing rates of mental illness amongst healthcare workers, we are shocked that NHS Practitioner Health's vital services have been decommissioned for secondary care staff. This service has been a lifeline to so many.

We will continue to support secondary care staff but we…

.NHS Practitioner Health is a free, confidential NHS primary care mental health and addiction service with expertise in treating health & care professionals - sounds pretty vital doesn't it for one of the largest workforces in the world?

My 2015 report to GMC recommended expansion of dedicated mental health care for doctors. Since then, staff - not just doctors - have faced Covid & increasing demand.

The NHS, in treating patients, needs healthy practitioners.

Adam Kay Matt Hancock Need for the NHS trusts to invest in preventive and proactive occupational health and well-being if this occurs

I am Chair and founder of a registered charity Healthcare Workers' Foundation 💙 that provides NHS and Healthcare staff in hardship with various avenues of support

We are already overwhelmed with demand

The stories in applications we receive are of desperate need

This is a disaster Victoria Atkins

.Matt Hancock Matt, we have disagreed on a lot of things you did in office, but one huge lasting achievement of yours was expanding the services of NHS Practitioner Health after we met early in your tenure. This saved doctors’ lives. Now, the service is being destroyed and (1/2)