Support by job role

Samaritans 

Samaritans provide confidential, non-judgmental support. 

• (24 hours, confidentially): call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
• Text SHOUT to 85258 for support 24/7   

Wellness Action Plan

This is a personalised and practical tool for employees to use to identify how to address what keeps individuals mentally well at work and what can result in poor mental health. It also opens up a dialogue, helping supervisors better understand the needs and experiences of employees. Start your Wellness Action plan

Looking After You Too

NHS England is providing individual coaching support with a highly skilled and experienced coach. This will be a space for staff working particularly in primary care to offload the demands of whatever you are experiencing and be supported in developing practical strategies for dealing with this. It might be that through a one-off conversation you have all the strategies you need to cope with your situation and stay well, or you might find a few sessions helpful. It is all led by you. Visit the website

Skills for Care

For home care workers, personal assistants and those working in isolated services, the nature of their work may mean that they already feel isolated. Skills for Care provides guidance on how to support staff who regularly work alone. It includes a section on supporting mental health and wellbeing and on communication and support.

LCASForum

London Care and Support Forum is a grouping of people and organisations involved in the provision of social care, personal support and health services across the Capital. Visit their website.

Supporting Hospital and Paramedic Employees (SHAPE)

SHAPE is an outreach programme that offers evidence-based wellbeing support to frontline staff and access to treatment as needed. SHAPE Recovery, which supports hospital and paramedic employees during and after COVID. Visit their website

Frontline19 service

Free and confidential psychological support service for people working in the NHS & frontline services in the UK. They are currently prioritising patient-facing roles. Visit the Frontline19 service website. 

Hopeline19

The NHS and frontline workers are then able to call up and listen to your messages of support. We want to encourage people to keep the conversation going and to continue to break the taboos surrounding emotional wellbeing and mental health. Anyone can call 0808 19 665 19 for free 24/7. Visit their website.

Support for volunteers

NHS Volunteer Responders programme

Set up by NHS England and NHS Improvement, working with Royal Voluntary Service and the GoodSAM app. Visit their website

NHS Cadets

NHS Cadets is a  programme being rolled out across England in partnership with St John Ambulance. It supports 14–18-year-olds from communities with less access to volunteering to find out what it is like to work in health and care. NHS Cadets learn first aid, develop their leadership and practical skills. Find out more

NCVO (National Council for Voluntary organisations)

For information on regular volunteering for an organisation that works with the NHS, find out more

Volunteering Matters

Find volunteering opportunities in your local area, click here

Peer Support Group for Volunteers by ThriveLDN

This is an opportunity for volunteers to support each other in your vital role as volunteers; to share experiences, good practice and mutual learning, as well as learning from experts. Find out more here

The Society of Radiographers

The professional body and trade union of diagnostic imagining and radiotherapy workforce in the UK. Visit their website for more information. 

Social Workers Benevolent Fund

This Trust offer financial support to social workers and their dependents in times of hardship. To find out more click here.

Royal College of Occupational Therapists

As an RCOT member* you are also entitled to access support from Unison. They offer a variety of assistance to members via their There for You service. All members can also also contact professional.enquiries@rcot.co.uk or call the college if you require specific practice advice queries.

British Psychological Society

The BPS has put together a guide aimed at leaders and managers that provides practical advice on how to respond to how staff may be feeling during difficult phases of working and living through the pandemic. Read and download

Royal College of Psychiatrists

The Psychiatrists' Support Service (PSS) is a service by psychiatrists for psychiatrists. They provide free, rapid, high quality peer support by telephone to psychiatrists of all grades who may be experiencing personal or work-related difficulties. This service is totally confidential and delivered by trained Peer Support Psychiatrists. 

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists

The Society of Physiotherapists have a number of support networks open to students and professionals who are members of the society. Three of their support networks include: DisAbility network, BAME network; and LGBTQIA+ network. You can find their webpage here.

London Ambulance Service Wellbeing Hub

Telephone: 0203 162 7554, 8am – 6pm 7 days a week.

Email: londamb.laswellbeinghub@nhs.net

Ambulance Staff Crisis phoneline

Open to all ambulance staff, irrelevant of role or length of service and after the initial call there are a further 5 sessions, with more if needed (and the colleague does not consent for the information to be shared back into their Trust). Visit their website for more info.

Telephone: 0300 373 0898 available 24/7 365 days a year.

Occupational Health Service - Optima Health

Telephone: 0330 008 4302, 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday

Email: London.Ambulance.service@optimahealth.co.uk

• Self-referral free short term counselling service (via Help EAP / Optima Health): 0800 021 4155

• LINC Peer Support Network: 0207 922 7539 (Emergency on call number) 

• Self-referral free short term counselling service (via Help EAP / Optima Health): 0800 021 4155

• LINC Peer Support Network: 0207 922 7539 (Emergency on call number) 

The Ambulance Service Charity (TASC)

 Provides a range of services to support the mental health, physical rehabilitation, and financial wellbeing of the UK’s ambulance staff, their family members, students, and ambulance service volunteers. Staff to be employed for minimum one year. Visit the website or contact 0800 1032999 or by email at support@theasc.co.uk

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives

This organisation offer a range of support. You can find their dedicated mental health and wellbeing webpage here. 

Supporting Hospital and Paramedic Employees (SHAPE)

SHAPE is an outreach programme that offers evidence-based wellbeing support to frontline staff and access to treatment as needed. SHAPE Recovery, which supports hospital and paramedic employees during and after COVID. Visit their website

BDA Wellbeing Support

Dentists who would like to receive psychological support can call the BDA Wellbeing Support Service available 24/7 on 0800 030 5182. They also offer CBT online, a wellbeing portal and a health e-hub mobile app. Visit Dental Wellbeing Hub

Practitioner Health

Free, confidential NHS service for doctors and dentists across England with mental illness and addiction problems, who are working or looking to return to clinical practice. The service can help with issues relating to a mental health concern, including stress or depression or an addiction problem, in particular where these might affect work. Visit Practitioner Health website

Single Point of Contact (SPOC)

The Professional Support Unit (PSU) have launched this specialist support service for trainee dentists experiencing a range of issues during the Covid-19 outbreak. It is a free, confidential and impartial service. Calls can be arranged for same day, next day or next week to accommodate for last minute changes in rotas. To request a 1:1 appointment, click on this link here

You Okay, Doc?

This service supports Doctors' mental health and wellbeing through bespoke mental and emotional health aids. Online support groups, a texting support service as well as webinars and podcasts to support doctors and their mental wellbeing. Find out more here.

BMA Wellbeing Service

This is a completely confidential helpline which can offer same day access to a counsellor and/or peer support. Doctors do not need to be a member of the BMA and the service is open to medical students too. Visit BMA Wellbeing Service website or telephone 0330 123 1245.

GP Wellbeing

Support for GPs during this challenging time, including wellbeing, resilience and mental health resources. Visit RCGP Wellbeing Hub

Doctors in Distress

Helps reduce suicide within the medical profession. This charity was created to raise awareness on the value of medical professionals’ health and wellbeing and the need to care for those that care for doctors. Visit Doctors in Distress website

Practitioner Health

Free, confidential NHS service for doctors and dentists across England with mental illness and addiction problems, who are working or looking to return to clinical practice. The service can help with issues relating to a mental health concern, including stress or depression or an addiction problem. Visit Practitioner Health website

Single Point of Contact (SPOC)

The Professional Support Unit (PSU) have launched this specialist support service for trainee doctors experiencing a range of issues during the COVID-19 outbreak. It is a free, confidential and impartial service. Trainees can sign up for a 45-minute conversation with a senior PSU lead. Click on this link here

The Royal College of Nursing

Counselling service available RCN counselling. To make an appointment, call the RCN on 0345 772 6100. The counselling service operates over the telephone so you can access counselling at a time that suits you. One of their counsellors will phone you at an agreed time.

Nurse Lifeline

Developed collaboratively by a small group of frontline staff united by an acute awareness of the pressures facing the workforce, Nurse Lifeline becomes the first nursing and midwifery led initiative to offer a national, free and confidential peer to peer listening service, by nurses and midwives, for nurses and midwives. Get in touch: 0800 801 0455

Nurses recruited from Jamaica

The Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) provide support, advice and guidance to new nurses coming to the UK from Jamaica. NAJ provides emotional, social and professional support to these staff through webinars, telephone and face to face contact. Contact info@naj.org.uk for more information.

Professional Nurse Advocates (PNA’s)

The Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA) programme delivers training and restorative supervision for colleagues right across England. PNA training provides those on the programme with skills to facilitate restorative supervision to their colleagues and teams, in nursing and beyond. The training equips them to listen and to understand challenges and demands of fellow colleagues, and to lead support and deliver quality improvement initiatives in response. Find out more here. Nurses working in London can get in contact with Clare Capito​​​​ at london.pna@nhs.net

Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK)

APTUK is the professional leadership body for pharmacy technicians working in all pharmacy sectors across all countries in the UK: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They provide advice, information and support, championing the pharmacy technician profession and enhancing education and scope of practice.

Pharmacist Support

Pharmacist support is an independent, trusted charity, providing a wide variety of support services to pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists and pharmacy students.

@Pharmasupport

For wellbeing tips to help pharmacists through self-isolation and working on frontline. Follow on twitter @pharmasupport.

The College of Optometrists

The College of Optometrists (the professional body for Optometrists) have a wellbeing programme which provides  24/7 access to counselling and advice lines, your own personal account on a wellbeing tracker app, and an online portal full of guides, courses, and videos aimed to improve health and wellbeing.