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Workplace pressure

Supporting a colleague

Notice, ask, listen and help them reach the right service.

By , Editor Updated How we check sources

Colleagues often spot a problem before anyone else does. The pharmacist who has stopped taking lunch. The nurse who snaps at a student and then apologises twice. The registrar who arrives early and leaves late every day for a month. You do not need clinical training in mental health to help. You need a private moment, a plain question and some knowledge of where support sits.

Short answer

Pick a private moment, say what you have noticed without judgement and ask how they are. Listen, then offer practical help and point them to a confidential service for their profession. If you believe they are at immediate risk of harming themselves, stay with them and call 999.

Key facts

Immediate danger
Call 999 or go to A&E
Urgent mental health help
NHS 111, mental health option, in England. Samaritans on 116 123, free, day or night.
NHS staff in England
NHS Practitioner Health, a confidential self-referral service for NHS staff who cannot get confidential care locally
NHS and social care staff in Wales
Canopi, free and confidential, self-referral only. New therapy referrals paused from 21 September 2026.
Regulated professionals in Scotland
Workforce Specialist Service, delivered by NHS Practitioner Health

Signs worth a quiet word

No single sign proves a problem. Look for change from the person's usual pattern over a few weeks:

  • Working through breaks, staying late or picking up every extra shift
  • More errors or near misses than usual, or checking work over and over
  • Withdrawal from the team, irritability or tearfulness
  • Talk of being trapped, a burden or "not coping"
  • More sick days, or coming in when clearly unwell

How to start the conversation

  1. Choose a private place and a time when neither of you is about to start a clinic or a dispensing rush.
  2. Describe what you have seen, not what you think the cause is. "You've stayed past eight every night this week. How are you doing?" works better than "You seem depressed."
  3. Listen more than you talk. Silence is fine.
  4. Ask what would help. Some people want cover for a shift, a lift to an appointment or someone to sit with them while they call a service.
  5. Agree a time to check in again, and keep to the arrangement.

If they say no, accept the answer and leave the door open. A second conversation a week later often goes further than the first.

Asking about suicide

If you are worried your colleague is thinking about suicide, ask the question directly. Asking does not plant the idea. If they have a plan or you believe they are in immediate danger, stay with them, remove obvious means if safe to do so, and call 999. For urgent help short of an emergency, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option in England, or call Samaritans on 116 123. Our urgent help page lists services across the UK.

Confidentiality and patient safety

Respect your colleague's privacy, but do not promise to keep everything secret. Professional standards put patient safety first. GMC Good medical practice (paragraph 51) asks doctors to be compassionate towards colleagues with health or performance problems while putting patient safety first. The NMC Code (standard 8.7) says support for a colleague must never compromise patient or public safety. GPhC standard 8 asks pharmacy professionals to speak up when things go wrong.

In practice, most health problems carry no risk to patients and need no report. If you believe a colleague's health is putting patients at risk, encourage them to speak to their manager or occupational health first. If they will not, seek advice from a senior colleague, your defence body or your regulator's helpline before you act.

Where to point them

Profession-specific services understand the fear of a regulator finding out. Pharmacists, trainees and pharmacy students can contact Pharmacist Support. Technicians should ask the charity directly whether they qualify. Doctors can use BMA wellbeing services, open to all doctors and medical students, or NHS Practitioner Health in England. NHS staff in Wales can refer themselves to Canopi. Most of these services take self-referral only, so offer to sit with your colleague while they make the call rather than calling for them. Our guide to fear of seeking help answers common worries about confidentiality.

Look after yourself as well

Supporting someone through a hard patch takes energy. Tell your colleague you care about them, and tell yourself you are not their clinician. If the conversation leaves you shaken, talk the conversation through with a supervisor or one of the services below.

Services for colleagues and for you

Common questions

What do I say to a colleague who seems burnt out?

Describe a specific change you have noticed and ask how they are doing. Listen, then ask what would help. Our guide to burnout in healthcare lists the changes to ask an employer for.

Should I tell our manager about a colleague's mental health?

Not without their agreement, unless you believe patients or the colleague face a serious risk. Encourage them to speak to the manager or occupational health themselves, and offer to go with them.

Can I refer a colleague to Practitioner Health or Pharmacist Support?

Most of these services expect the person to contact them directly. You can share the details and offer to sit with your colleague while they make contact.

What if a colleague tells me they feel suicidal?

Take the statement seriously and ask whether they have a plan. If they are in immediate danger, stay with them and call 999. Otherwise help them call NHS 111, their GP or Samaritans on 116 123 the same day.

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