Doctors in Distress is a charity offering peer support to all healthcare workers, mainly through free online groups led by a facilitator. Weekly groups run three times a week, and you register through the charity's website. The charity says plainly: Doctors in Distress is not a therapy or crisis service.
Key facts
- Who can use the groups
- All healthcare workers
- Cost
- Free. The charity says all its groups are confidential and free of charge.
- How to contact
- Email contact@doctors-in-distress.org.uk. No helpline is published.
- Weekly group times
- Wednesdays 12.30pm to 1.30pm, Thursdays 6.30pm to 7.30pm, Sundays 6pm to 7pm (online)
- Charity number
- England and Wales 1184953, Scotland SC049715
What Doctors in Distress offers
The charity creates spaces away from work where healthcare workers can speak with others facing the same stresses. At the time of checking, the programme list included:
- Weekly support groups. Online groups for any healthcare worker facing mental health challenges such as burnout or exam anxiety. Each session is professionally facilitated. You do not have to speak or turn your camera on. Sign-up is through an Eventbrite link on the charity's programmes page.
- #StampOutSexism listening group. A free monthly online group for any healthcare worker affected by sexual misconduct at work.
- Beat Burnout course. A self-paced online course, opening with a webinar and followed by short videos and course materials, aimed at recovering from burnout and rebuilding a career.
- Webinar series. Interactive webinars titled Doctors 1in4 and Nurse/Midwife 2in3, where speakers share lived experience of mental illness.
- Creativity groups. Workshops using creative work, from photography to creative writing, for wellbeing.
Group activity depends on external funding, so the list changes. Check the programmes page for the current timetable before you plan around a session.
Who the groups suit
The groups suit healthcare workers who want company more than treatment. Say a staff nurse on a surgical ward has started to dread every shift, but has no diagnosis and no wish to see a GP yet. An hour on a Wednesday lunchtime, listening with the camera off, lets the nurse hear how other staff deal with the same pressure. Doctors facing professional exams, pharmacists working alone and paramedics after a hard call all fit the same open criteria.
The #StampOutSexism group gives a separate space to anyone harmed by sexual misconduct at work. If you want to report what happened, read our guides to raising concerns and bullying and harassment, and contact a union or Acas about your options.
What the charity does not do
Doctors in Distress states on its website: the charity is not a therapy or crisis service. You will not get one-to-one counselling, a diagnosis or treatment through the groups. For those needs, other services fit better:
- NHS staff in England with a mental health or addiction problem: NHS Practitioner Health, a free and confidential NHS service.
- NHS and social care staff in Wales: Canopi, which offers guided self-help and doctor advisor appointments. New therapy referrals, including CBT, are paused from 21 September 2026.
- Doctors and medical students wanting a counsellor at any hour: BMA wellbeing support on 0330 123 1245.
- Pharmacists, trainees and MPharm students: Pharmacist Support.
- RCN members: RCN member support, including counselling.
For an anonymous text-based space for doctors, compare the forum run by the Doctors' Support Network.
Joining a session for the first time
- Open the programmes page on the charity's website and pick a weekly session time.
- Register through the Eventbrite link to receive joining details.
- Join from a private room if you can. Headphones help on a shared ward or in a staff room.
- Listen for as long as you like. Sharing is optional.
For anything else, including asking about a specific programme, email contact@doctors-in-distress.org.uk. Press enquiries have a separate address on the website.
Burnout often builds over months before anyone names the problem. Our guides to burnout in healthcare work, exam pressure and supporting a colleague sit alongside the charity's groups.
If you need help now
The groups are not a crisis service. In immediate danger, call 999. In England, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. Samaritans answer free on 116 123, day and night. The urgent support page lists more options.
Common questions
Is Doctors in Distress only for doctors?
No. The charity offers peer support to all healthcare workers, and the weekly groups are open to any healthcare worker facing mental health challenges.
Are Doctors in Distress groups free?
Yes. The charity says all its groups are confidential and free of charge.
When do the Doctors in Distress support groups run?
At the time of checking, weekly online groups ran on Wednesdays 12.30pm to 1.30pm, Thursdays 6.30pm to 7.30pm and Sundays 6pm to 7pm. Times depend on funding, so check the charity's programmes page.
Do I have to speak in a group?
No. The charity says there is no pressure to share or to have your camera on.
Is Doctors in Distress a crisis line?
No. The charity is not a therapy or crisis service. In a crisis, call 999, NHS 111 or Samaritans on 116 123.