Pharmacist Support
A UK charity for pharmacists, pharmacy trainees, students and their families, with listening, wellbeing and financial help.
Each service has its own criteria. Read them on the charity's website before you apply.
Connection
Find people who understand
Peer networks, facilitated groups and reflective spaces where UK healthcare staff talk with people who know the work.
Short answer
Peer support connects you with other healthcare workers who understand the pressure of the job. Doctors' Support Network, the Psychiatrists' Support Service and GLADD serve specific groups, while Balint groups and some Doctors in Distress programmes are open more widely. Campaign groups such as EveryDoctor and Doctors' Association UK, and unions such as UNISON, speak for staff on pay, conditions and patient safety. Peer support sits alongside treatment and does not replace treatment.
Peer groups and reflective communities
BMA wellbeing services
Counselling and peer support for doctors and medical students.
The counselling and peer support lines are open to doctors and medical students whether or not they are BMA members. Some extra services are for members only.
Doctors' Support Network
Peer support for doctors and medical students with mental-health concerns.
Check membership, group arrangements and confidentiality guidance. Peer support does not replace treatment.
Doctors in Distress
Group-based support and wellbeing programmes for healthcare workers.
Audiences, dates and places vary by programme. Check the current programme covers your profession before you sign up.
Canopi
Mental-health and wellbeing support for NHS and social-care staff in Wales.
For staff aged 18 and over. Self-referrals and doctor advisor appointments continue. New therapy referrals, including CBT, paused from 21 September 2026. Not an emergency service.
Psychiatrists' Support Service
Peer support for psychiatrists facing personal or work-related difficulties.
For psychiatrists. Read the provider's confidentiality policy and professional safety exceptions.
The Balint Society
Reflective groups and learning about the emotional experience of caring relationships.
Group audience, cost, location and meeting format vary. Check the relevant listing.
GLADD
A community representing LGBTQ+ doctors, dentists and medical and dental students.
Check membership and event information. The organisation does not provide medical or dental advice.
Peer networks for one profession or specialty
Some groups are run by and for one profession. Doctors' Support Network offers peer support to doctors and medical students with mental-health concerns. The Royal College of Psychiatrists runs the Psychiatrists' Support Service for psychiatrists facing personal or work problems. Talking to someone in your own field saves you explaining how rotas, inspections or appraisals work.
Facilitated and reflective groups
In a facilitated group, a trained lead keeps the discussion safe and on track. Doctors in Distress runs group programmes for healthcare workers, with audiences and dates set per programme. In a Balint group, a small group of clinicians meets regularly with a trained leader to talk through cases from their own practice, with the focus on the relationship with the patient.
Communities based on shared identity
GLADD represents LGBTQ+ doctors, dentists and medical and dental students. Members use the network for events and contact with LGBTQ+ colleagues across medicine and dentistry. If you face unfair treatment, read the discrimination guide alongside any peer support.
Options for pharmacy, nursing and Wales
Fewer peer groups are run for one pharmacy or nursing role. Pharmacists, trainees and pharmacy students can contact Pharmacist Support for listening and wellbeing help. Nurses in the RCN can use RCN member support. In Wales, Canopi offers wellbeing support to NHS and social-care staff, and you refer yourself. New therapy referrals there are paused from 21 September 2026. If you feel cut off at work, read the isolation guide.
Campaign and advocacy groups for healthcare staff
Campaign and advocacy groups speak for staff on pay, working conditions, patient safety and the future of the NHS. Some are trade unions, some are professional bodies and some are campaign groups funded by supporters. The descriptions below follow each group's own account of its work. Membership rules and fees change, so check the group's website before you join.
Groups for doctors
- EveryDoctor (opens another website): a campaign group led by doctors, which describes itself as powered by NHS staff and patients. Doctors, NHS staff and patients sign up as supporters with a monthly donation of their choice, and the group says supporters get no perks or membership.
- Doctors' Association UK (DAUK) (opens another website): a grassroots, democratic membership organisation led by doctors, which campaigns on working conditions, pay, patient safety and protection for staff who raise concerns. Membership is paid, with full membership for GMC-registered doctors, a lower student rate for medical students and an associate rate for other healthcare workers and supporters.
Groups for pharmacy teams
- Royal College of Pharmacy (opens another website): the professional leadership body for pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society became the Royal College of Pharmacy in April 2026. Membership is paid, with separate rates for students, foundation trainees and newly qualified pharmacists, and members can use a one-to-one professional support service on weekdays.
- Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) (opens another website): the professional leadership body for pharmacy technicians in the UK. APTUK says the body leads, advocates for and represents the pharmacy technician profession, and runs consultations, awards and an annual conference.
- Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (opens another website): a membership organisation for pharmacists in the NHS and other managed services, backed by Unite the Union. You join by registering with Unite.
Groups for nurses and wider NHS teams
- UNISON (opens another website): describes itself as the largest health care union in the UK. Members include nurses, midwives, healthcare support workers, pharmacy technicians, porters, admin staff and healthcare students. The monthly subscription depends on your income.
- Unite the Union (opens another website): a trade union with members in every occupation in health, including health visitors, school nurses, applied psychologists and ambulance staff. The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists sits within Unite.
Mental health charity for healthcare and emergency staff
- Laura Hyde Foundation (opens another website): a registered charity which provides mental health support to healthcare and emergency services staff, including nurses, doctors and paramedics. The foundation works to reduce stigma about mental health in these jobs and runs the REcharge Hub, a wellbeing programme for staff with burnout.
Before joining a group
Ask about moderation, confidentiality rules, cost and what happens when a member needs urgent help. Keep identifiable patient and colleague information out of every group, including closed online forums. Your duty of confidentiality to patients still applies in peer spaces. If you need help today, go to urgent help.
Common questions
What is a Balint group?
A Balint group is a small group of clinicians who meet regularly with a trained leader to discuss cases from their own work. The discussion focuses on the clinician's relationship with the patient, not on clinical management.
Is peer support confidential?
Most groups agree confidentiality rules at the start, but limits apply when someone is at risk of harm. Read the group's confidentiality policy before you share, and leave patient details out.
Can nurses or pharmacists join Doctors in Distress groups?
Some Doctors in Distress programmes are open to all healthcare workers, and others focus on one group. Check the current programme on the charity's website before you sign up.
What is the difference between a union and a campaign group?
A trade union such as UNISON or Unite represents members at work, for example in a grievance or disciplinary hearing. Campaign groups and professional bodies speak for the profession as a whole. Check what each group offers before you rely on the group for help with your own case.
Does peer support replace counselling or treatment?
No. Peer support gives you connection with people who know the work. If low mood, anxiety or poor sleep goes on, speak to your GP, or to NHS Practitioner Health if you are eligible.