News
August 2010
Welcome to our new and simplified web site! Please look around and see if we have something that could help you.
If you find any details which are inaccurate, please e-mail Ed Selby. Thank you.
Services
For GPs, dentists, practice managers and staff
General Advice
Leslie and Ed are available to discuss or advise on any personal or work related problem at any time. We are happy to speak to anyone within the Practice team, (Staff, Nursing or Medical).
Please contact us at home or at work, or you can contact us confidentially by e-mail. You need not identify yourself if you don't wish to do so. If we are unable to offer you the advice you need then we will do our best to put you in touch with someone who can.
GPs
Doctors may find it difficult to deal with personal health problems and not have time to think about their own wellbeing in a pro-active way. Being a knowledgeable patient is not easy!. Our working environment has little slack to permit proper illness and recovery.
As a result Doctors may struggle on for too long when early intervention would have been preferable. Working colleagues are not always sympathetic and may have little understanding of what it is like to be functioning below par. This often has a very negative effect.
We hope to encourage a more understanding environment where sick or struggling doctors can be treated well and their illness given the same priority as that which we would like to give our own patients and family.
We hope this service will meet the need of GP colleagues who have health problems and to encourage all doctors to think 'prevention' and look after themselves. We guarantee privacy, confidentiality and independence.
GPs and mental health problems
Mental health problems seem to particularly concern us. This is something that we find very difficult to admit to ourselves.
It seems that doctors share all the worries and prejudices of their patients when it comes to acknowledging and getting help for mental health problems. Concerns about confidentiality, job prospects and fears of rejection by or being regarded unfavourably by colleagues are commonplace. Mistakenly we diagnose and treat ourselves rather than trusting anyone with the responsibility of helping us.
Remember that stress can produce some pretty weird psychological changes and your fears about a serious mental illness may be unfounded.
In any event, just as in physical illness, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of all forms of mental illness can stop things getting worse and over time, and with a bit of help you will definitely recover.
GP-Health is particularly keen to assist any colleague who fears they be becoming mentally ill or knows themselves to be abusing alcohol or drugs
If you think you have a mental health problem or are just simply stressed out, there are several ways to get help:
- arrange to see your own GP,
- ring one of the Consultant Psychiatrists listed in the contact list. They are all aware of the difficulties you may have accessing this type of help and are very willing to see you and assess what is best for you.
- contact Leslie or Ed to discuss things
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
New. Contact Steve Williams for more information.
Steve is a retired GP who worked for many years at the Garth Surgery, Guisborough. He now practises CBT on a one-to-one or group basis from these premises.
Dentists
The scheme now covers dentists. We are not able at this time to cover dental practice staff. The service we offer is identical to that for GPs.
Practice Managers
We are aware that many of the issues that prevent GPs accessing counselling at times of personal and work related stress also apply to practice staff, particularly to Practice Managers.
Practice Managers occupy a unique and sometimes lonely role, not one of the doctors but not quite one of the staff either. It is not easy to find advice that is completely confidential and that is dedicated to the needs of the individual.
If you find yourself worrying and getting stressed out because you can't cope or resolve things please think to contact one of our counsellors.
We are also wanting to develop a peer support system for Managers and hope to get in touch with you about this soon. Some sort of a Co-Mentoring/'Buddy' system was what we have in mind. Please let us know if you are interested.
Leslie and Ed also happy to see you for a spot of 'mentoring' if you think it would be useful to you.
Remember we guarantee privacy, confidentiality and independence.
Counselling
If you have been overwhelmed by personal or work related difficulties resulting in emotional problems, why not share these with someone who could help you make positive steps to feeling better?
The stressful working environment that is General Practice can produce some very difficult professional and personal issues. Sometimes one can get so involved or upset by them that it isn't easy to take a step back and resolve them rationally and effectively.
We are also prepared to see family members where they are involved in factors affecting an individuals well-being.
If you find yourself worrying and getting stressed out because you can't cope or resolve anything at all please consider contacting a Counsellor.
They are all very experienced and will try to help you sort things out.
Since we place the highest importance on Confidentiality, the Counsellors consult at their private premises and do not tell us the names of those attending.
You can be certain of condidentiality and that nothing can possibly leak out into the local General Practice community.
Counselling for Practice Staff
Wellworker
We understand that Wellworker is no longer taking new clients and we are currently seeking an alternative provider. 11/08/2010Counselling for GPs
Harold Heller
Middleton St. George
01325 332578
Harold.Heller@Virgin.netLinda Sharp
Guisborough
01287 633976Pauline Barwick
Nunthorpe
01642 319486Kate Wilkinson
Scarborough
01723 337624
Occupational Health
Occupational Health for Doctors is about a wide range of personal and work related issues.
At GP-Health this is designed to be a purely personal service to the individual GP. In the future we will be widening it to include responsibilities as an employer, Health and Safety and advice to partnerships as a whole.
It can be accessed by self-referral if you have need of
- advice about any acute or chronic physical and mental disabilities.
- advice about a specific illness and its impact on your work.
- rehabilitation during recovery from illness.
- if you feel completely unable to contact your GP about a specific medical problem you may use this as a referral point into secondary care.
- general health in the workplace.
Unlike other Occupational Health Services no report will be made about you unless you require it for personal use.
Should you develop some disability that affects your ability to do your work in practice it may be that an occupational health assessment will allow you to work on safely knowing that your disability is not affecting the quality of your work.
Mentoring
It is not always straightforward to solve problems, make decisions, initiate changes or deal with others in our personal and working lives .Confounding other factors can often be very distracting and so the help of an external facilitator can sometimes be quite useful.
Traditionally the Mentor is a trusted and faithful guide for a person who is on a journey of personal, professional and career development.
The process of mentoring is designed to encourage an individual to reflect on his or her situation in the presence of a skilled helper who tries to facilitate the process by encouraging lateral thinking, exploring blind spots etc , so that the individual can see their own way through any situation or decision. In the process previously unrecognized new insights or new possibilities are more likely to emerge. than the individual can find on there own.
Ideally mentoring should be part of any learning organizations culture.
The relationship between Mentor and Mentee is obviously critical to the success of the process. It must be utterly confidential so that an atmosphere of trust and support can develop. Ideally it should be voluntary not imposed and a clear differential made between personal mentoring and formal career appraisal.
Just about any type of problem or issue, no matter how large or small, can be addressed within the mentoring relationship. At any given point in a mentoring relationship there may also be a simple support role or a even counselling role. For issues with an emotional or personality theme formal counselling may be a more appropriate option but often by the time this is needed there are also coexistent practical issues that can be addressed in parallel to the counselling.
At the moment the NHS are getting a terrible bashing in the press and in the political arena. We need to be careful not to undervalue our talents and skills. Many members of the Team in group or single-handed Practice can work in significant personal isolation and so the very process of setting time aside and have someone give you their full undivided attention in a warm and welcoming manner can very supportive.
We are looking to develop a mentoring culture amongst across all GP Team members in the Tees area.
In the mean time, if you fell the need to a helping hand in some way why not contact one of the mentors listed. They would be delighted to help. Leslie and Ed are happy to be called at home if you are unable to contact us at work. At present this is only available to GP's and Practice Managers. We are in the process of working with PCT's to develop such a service for Practice Nurses and Staff.
Contact Ed or Leslie who will put you in contact with an appropriate person.