Choose support by the conversation you need. A peer group helps you feel understood, a clinical service assesses and treats, and employment advice deals with the work problem. One charity or union may offer several of these, so check the specific service, not the label.
What kind of healthcare support would help?
The table compares types of service, not individual providers, and ranks nothing. Press a button to highlight the rows for your need. Then read across each row for what the service does, what to check and a first question you can copy. Each provider decides who qualifies.
Highlight a starting point
All six options are shown. Pick a need to highlight the rows which fit. Your choices stay in your browser.
| Type of support | Useful for | Check before contact | A first question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profession-focused charityExample: Pharmacist Support Official service information (opens another website) | Wellbeing, listening, practical help or financial assistance, according to the charity. | Check profession, location and the particular service. Charity status does not tell you which services are offered. | "Does this service offer listening, counselling, financial help or something else?" |
| Peer support or communityExample: Doctors' Support Network Official service information (opens another website) | Connection with people who understand healthcare work or similar experiences. | Check joining rules, moderation, privacy and whether the group is facilitated. | "Who can see what I share, and is this a group, forum or one-to-one service?" |
| Clinical mental-health serviceExample: NHS Practitioner Health Official service information (opens another website) | Assessment and treatment within the service's clinical scope. | Check how referral works, current eligibility, which areas are covered and confidentiality arrangements. | "Can you assess my needs, and how would care and follow-up be arranged?" |
| Union or professional member supportExample: Pharmacists' Defence Association Official service information (opens another website) | Employment or professional advice, and representation where membership and service terms allow. | Check cover, membership dates, working arrangement and whether an existing issue is included. | "Does my membership cover this issue, document review and representation?" |
| Employment information and adviceExample: Acas Official service information (opens another website) | Understanding employment rights, workplace processes and suitable next steps. | Distinguish general guidance from individual legal advice, document review or representation. Check jurisdiction. | "Will you advise on my own agreement, or help me find someone who will?" |
| Speaking-up or whistleblowing adviceExample: Speaking-up guide Official service information (opens another website) | Advice about raising wrongdoing concerns, or support using an organisation's speaking-up process. | An internal guardian and an independent adviser have different roles. Ask about confidentiality and remit. | "Who should receive my concern, and what advice do you give before I disclose?" |
A work problem and the stress behind the problem need separate help
Say a pharmacist is asked to sign a restriction on future work and cannot sleep while deciding. The contract wording needs an employment adviser, such as a union, the PDA or a solicitor. The lost sleep needs a wellbeing conversation, and a GP or clinical service if the problem goes on. Neither conversation has to wait for the other.
Start with the contract review guide and use the support finder for the wellbeing side.
Now say a doctor has a patient-safety concern and fears repercussions. The concern needs an accountable safety process, such as a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian in England. Protect gives free advice on how to raise the concern. A peer group helps with the strain but cannot judge whether a disclosure qualifies for legal protection. Read whistleblowing in healthcare and keeping appropriate records before you prepare for a meeting.
Financial help needs a separate comparison
DoctorsHelp brings together charities offering financial help to doctors and their families. A short questionnaire points you to funds which match your situation, and each fund applies its own criteria. Use DoctorsHelp when the immediate problem is money. Check DoctorsHelp's current information (opens another website).
In pharmacy, Pharmacist Support offers financial assistance and specialist advice alongside wellbeing help. Nurses in the RCN can ask the union's member support team about money worries. Ask each service which help fits your need and if you meet the conditions. Read money worries and the DoctorsHelp profile.
Five questions to ask any service before you share details
- Does this particular service cover my profession, UK nation and working arrangement?
- What does the service offer: listening, treatment, financial help, guidance, document review or representation?
- Are there fees, membership conditions, referral requirements or limits for existing problems?
- What happens to the information I share, and what exceptions apply to confidentiality?
- What can happen next, and is there a deadline I should tell you about?
For employment questions, Great Britain and Northern Ireland have separate systems: Acas covers Great Britain and the Labour Relations Agency covers Northern Ireland. Use UK coverage and preparing for legal advice. Keep patient information and confidential documents out of public forums and this directory.
Questions about choosing healthcare support
Is peer support the same as counselling?
No. A peer group offers connection with people who share your experience. Counselling is a trained therapeutic service. Some organisations, such as the BMA, offer both, so ask what the specific service involves.
Can a wellbeing charity review my employment contract?
Usually not. Ask whether the charity offers qualified employment advice or a referral. A union, a professional member service or an employment solicitor is the usual place for a contract review.
Can I use more than one support service at once?
Yes. You can get advice about a contract while using a wellbeing or clinical service for the stress. Tell any treating service about other care you receive so your care stays joined up.
Which healthcare support service is most confidential?
Pharma Mate does not rank confidentiality. Ask each service who holds your information, who can see the information, and which safety, professional or legal exceptions apply before you share sensitive details.
See urgent help. In immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E. Samaritans answer 116 123 at any hour.