2. Help now

  1. Overcome barriers to help-seeking

Clinicians are usually well placed to access care for physical health conditions. However, when it comes to psychological support, there are well-recognised barriers, including time pressure, stigma and concerns about confidentiality that deter help-seeking.

For many health professionals included doctors, it may feel easier to seek informal advice from family, friends or colleagues with health or medical qualifications rather than formal professional health care. However, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency advises against this except in emergencies, as objectivity and appropriate follow-up can be compromised.

One of the most effective ways to support yourself - and your colleagues - is to establish a trusted relationship with an independent general practitioner.  Ideally, this should be a GP within a local practice offering both face-to-face and telehealth care with continuity over time. Routine comprehensive preventive care strengthens both physical and mental wellbeing and creates a reliable foundation for support when it is most needed.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ Preventive Health Guidelines recommend an annual GP check-up tailored to your age and risk profile. This may include lifestyle advice, mental health screening, cardiovascular and metabolic risk assessment, osteoporosis screening, and relevant cancer screening including cervix, breast, bowel, and prostate screening where appropriate. 

Staying up to date with vaccinations - such as influenza, COVID19, and Hepatitis A and B - is also essential for maintaining long-term fitness for practice. These routine visits help build a strong therapeutic relationship with one GP, or multiple GPs within the same practice.

Continuity of care provides a crucial safety net during periods of stress, crisis, or exposure to trauma. A trusted GP can offer debriefing, provide or coordinate evidence-based psychological and psychiatric care and referral, and support workplace interventions and safe return-to-work planning. 

Trying to establish this level of support when already vulnerable is much harder - another reason to build a trusted GP relationship while you are well.

If you are concerned about how your workplace may respond to taking sick leave entitlements, a GP can provide a confidential medical certificate without disclosing the underlying diagnosis to your employer. They can also help you navigate support services if your workplace rights are compromised during a period of ill health.

If your GP is finding it difficult to stay updated on responsibilities under new WHS laws, it may be helpful to encourage them to download the Safe doctor app. It is critical that every clinician understands that all employees, contractors and visiting consultants:

· have the right to a safe workplace free from physical and psychosocial harm;

· have the right to protection from bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination, racism, violence;

· are entitled to confidential physical and mental health care without discrimination; and

· have the right to speak up about workplace risks without retaliation.

Clinicians concerned about mandatory reporting and privacy of their own consultations can also be reassured. 

Privacy laws protect your clinical record. Mandatory reporting generally applies only where there is a serious risk to patients - typically involving impaired practice or lack of insight, together with a refusal to temporarily step back from work while recovering from an illness that compromises your cognitive function.

Importantly, when clinicians seek help for mental or physical health conditions, a mandatory report is usually not required because help-seeking demonstrates insight and appropriate professional responsibility.

For all these reasons, every clinician benefits from a trusted GP relationship and should feel safe seeking help early - for both minor and major concerns.

2. Where to get help 

There are myriads of high-quality health care options available for clinicians including:

A trusted independent GP or psychologist for objective assessment, advice, and evidence-based treatment. 

There are often employer, college, or training program wellbeing services, including confidential Employee Assistance Programs. 

Doctors can also access dedicated services such as:

Doctors’ Health Alliance 

Hand-n-Hand Peer Support

Anonymous helplines can be used for informal debriefing including Lifeline, the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline and online mental health resources.

Healthcare is inherently high-risk. That reality demands more - not less - attention to protecting your own health while delivering high-quality patient care.

Caring for others should never come at the cost of your own health or safety. 

Please consider encouraging others to download the Safe doctor podcast app to improve WHS literacy across the health system to protect yourself and your colleagues. 

• Doctors’ Health Alliance - Doctors’ Health Line (24/7): 1800 006 888
      NSW & ACT: 02 9437 6552 

                  NT & SA: 08 8366 0250 

                  QLD: 07 3833 4352  

                  TAS & ACT: 1300 374 377 

                  VIC: 1300 330 543 

                  WA: 08 9321 3098 

                  NZ: 0800 471 2654 

• Drs4Drs (confidential counselling): 1300 374 377 
• Hand-n-Hand Peer Support: https://www.handnhand.org.au/ (not an emergency service) 

Anonymous helplines for debriefing:

• Lifeline (24/7): 13 11 14 
• National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline: 1800 250 015 
• SMART Recovery Australia: https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/ 
• Australian Drug Foundation (service finder): https://adf.org.au/help-support/search/ 
• Drug and Alcohol Counselling Online (24/7): https://counsellingonline.org.au/ 
• Family Drug Support: 1300 368 186 

Online mental health resources:

• The Essential Network (TEN) App - Black Dog Institute: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/the-essential-network/ 
• Hand-n-Hand Peer Support: https://www.handnhand.org.au/ 
• myCompass (online CBT): https://www.mycompass.org.au/ 
• Beyond Blue workplace support: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/before-blue/employee