| User ID | Zaid Al-Najjar |
|---|---|
| Hidden Email | zaid.al-najjar@nhs.net |
| Company / Organisation name | NHS Practitioner Health |
| Person(s) name completing form | Zaid Al-Najjar |
| Title for accreditation (name of initiative, or name of policy etc.). Leave blank if not relevant. | NHS Practitioner Health |
| 1.1 Attach evidence of the wellbeing initiative. (If you are unable to provide links, please email to tick@tickaccreditation.com) | NHS Practitioner Health (PH), including the Workforce Specialist Service (WSS) in Scotland, is a specialist mental health and addiction service designed specifically for health and care professionals (HCPs). The service was established in 2008 in response to evidence demonstrating that healthcare professionals face higher rates of mental illness, addiction, and suicide compared with the general population and experience significant barriers to accessing care. Over the past 17 years, Practitioner Health has evolved into one of the largest and most experienced services globally for this population. Since its inception, the service has treated more than 40,000 healthcare professionals, including doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics and other regulated practitioners. The service is delivered by a multidisciplinary team including general practitioners, psychiatrists, specialist nurses, therapists, and addiction specialists. The model of care is built around several key principles designed to address the known barriers healthcare professionals face when seeking help: • Confidentiality to overcome fear of disclosure within professional networks. • Ease of access, with a “no wrong door” approach allowing rapid entry into care. • Specialist expertise, ensuring clinicians understand the professional context of illness in health and care workers. • Multidisciplinary care, integrating psychological, medical, occupational, and addiction expertise. • Evidence-based practice, combined with ongoing research and evaluation. • Risk management, recognising that practitioner-patients have responsibilities towards the safety of their own patients. The service provides comprehensive assessment and treatment for a wide range of mental health and addiction conditions including depression, anxiety, burnout, bipolar disorder, neurodiversity-related challenges, substance dependence, and suicidality. Where appropriate, interventions include: • Case management and clinical treatment • Psychological therapies (individual and group) • Addiction management and rehabilitation • Occupational health liaison and return-to-work support • Support for clinicians involved in regulatory or disciplinary processes The service has been externally evaluated and was rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England. Its approach has also informed international models of practitioner health services. Evidence of the initiative includes: • Longitudinal service data on healthcare professionals treated • Published research and reports produced by the service • The development of specialist clinical guidance for practitioner-patients • National and international presentations and policy engagement • Publications such as Beneath the White Coat: Doctors, Their Minds and Mental Health, (Routledge 2020), and The Handbook of Physician Health (Routledge, 2024) Practitioner Health has also developed memoranda of understanding with health and care regulators to support safe treatment while maintaining confidentiality and professional accountability. Alongside clinical treatment, the service delivers a significant programme of psychoeducational and preventative wellbeing work designed to improve mental health literacy, reduce stigma and support early help-seeking among healthcare professionals. These resources include: • The NHS Practitioner Health podcast, which provides reflective discussions on mental health, professional challenges and wellbeing in healthcare. • Webinars and educational events delivered nationally to support clinicians and organisations in understanding mental health and workforce wellbeing. • Online resources and guidance available via the Practitioner Health website to support healthcare professionals seeking advice and early support. • The “Understanding and Managing Your Emotions” psychoeducational programme and accompanying book, developed from Practitioner Health therapeutic groups to help individuals understand and manage difficult emotional experiences. • The “Touched by Suicide” guide, which provides support and guidance for healthcare professionals affected by suicide within the workforce. Together these initiatives provide both direct clinical support and wider preventative wellbeing resources, supporting healthcare professionals across the UK to maintain their mental health and continue working safely within the healthcare system. Evidence supporting this initiative includes the NHS Practitioner Health Annual Report, which provides detailed information about the service model, patient outcomes, research activity and workforce impact. Links to annual reports: https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/our-annual-reports Links to research: https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/research |
| 1.2 Describe how it is based on evidence of effectiveness through monitoring and reports such as Mental Health Resource Quality Assessment. | NHS Practitioner Health is grounded in both research evidence and continuous outcome monitoring, ensuring that the service remains evidence-based, responsive to need, and capable of demonstrating measurable impact. Evidence base for the initiative Research consistently shows that healthcare professionals experience: • Higher rates of depression, anxiety and burnout • Higher suicide rates compared with the general population • Increased risk of addiction, particularly alcohol dependence • Significant barriers to accessing care due to stigma, confidentiality concerns and fear of professional consequences Studies have also demonstrated that traditional healthcare services may struggle to effectively support practitioner-patients because clinicians may lack training in managing the professional, regulatory and occupational complexities associated with treating healthcare professionals. Practitioner Health contributed to the development of the Health for Healthcare Professionals competency framework, ensuring that clinicians working within the service are recruited and trained specifically in the management of practitioner-patients. Practitioner Health was therefore developed as a specialist service tailored to this population, combining clinical expertise in mental health and addiction with a detailed understanding of healthcare systems, regulatory processes, and workplace pressures faced by clinicians. Over the past decade, the service has also contributed to the development of the international evidence base for practitioner health services. Research undertaken by the service and its collaborators has examined: • Characteristics of healthcare professionals seeking mental health support • Addiction treatment outcomes among clinician populations • Return-to-work outcomes following treatment • The prevalence of neurodiversity among healthcare professionals • Clinical management of bipolar disorder and perinatal mental illness in practitioner-patients The service has also contributed to national discussions on mental health stigma, workforce wellbeing, and the safe support of clinicians experiencing mental illness or addiction. Monitoring outcomes and effectiveness The effectiveness of the initiative is continuously evaluated through routine monitoring and reporting of clinical outcomes. Validated outcome measures are used throughout the patient journey, including: • PHQ-9 to measure severity of depressive symptoms • GAD-7 to measure anxiety symptoms • CORE-10 to assess overall psychological distress • AUDIT-10 to screen for alcohol misuse • Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (LDQ) and SAD-Q to measure severity of substance dependence These tools are used at assessment and during treatment to monitor progress and support clinical decision-making. Outcome monitoring demonstrates substantial improvements in patient wellbeing. Recent service data shows reductions in both PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores of more than eight points during treatment episodes, which compares favourably with outcomes reported in NHS Talking Therapies services. In addiction pathways, the service has achieved abstinence rates of approximately 80%, with around 75% of patients who were not working at registration returning to work following treatment. In addition to clinical outcomes, the service monitors a range of broader indicators relevant to workforce wellbeing and recovery, including: • Return-to-work rates • Sustained recovery from addiction • Patient engagement and retention • Patient satisfaction and feedback Patient experience is also routinely monitored. Recent service data indicates that 96% of patients report confidence in the confidentiality of the service, and 94% would recommend the service to others. Non-attendance rates remain low (below 7%), indicating strong engagement with treatment and accessibility of care. Continuous quality improvement Outcome data and patient feedback are reviewed through established clinical governance processes, including: • Daily multidisciplinary team meetings • Clinical governance committee oversight • Structured clinical audit programmes • Service evaluation and research activities • Monitoring of clinical and operational risk registers These mechanisms enable emerging themes, safety issues and quality concerns to be identified promptly and addressed through service improvement. Learning from outcomes and service evaluations is used to refine clinical pathways, develop new interventions, and inform wider workforce wellbeing policy. Wider wellbeing and preventative resources In addition to clinical care, Practitioner Health contributes to preventative wellbeing and mental health literacy through a range of psychoeducational resources. These include the Practitioner Health podcast, webinars and educational events, website guidance and resources for healthcare professionals, the Understanding and Managing Your Emotions psychoeducational podcast (https://nhspractitionerhealthpodcast.buzzsprout.com/) and book (https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/understanding-and-managing-your-emotions), and the Touched by Suicide guide (https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/suicide-prevention-postvention). These resources help disseminate learning from the service, reduce stigma, and support earlier help-seeking across the healthcare workforce. Impact and sustainability Since its establishment in 2008, Practitioner Health has supported more than 35,000 healthcare professionals and consistently demonstrates positive outcomes for both individuals and the wider healthcare system. By enabling clinicians to recover from mental illness and addiction and safely return to work, the initiative supports workforce retention, reduces sickness absence, and contributes to the sustainability of healthcare services. Independent quality assessment The Practitioner Health initiative has also been evaluated using the Mental Health Resource Quality Assessment (MHRQA) framework, a structured tool designed to assess the quality, effectiveness and safety of mental health and wellbeing resources. The completed assessment awarded the service a total score of 16, categorising it as “Suitable” for use as a mental health and wellbeing intervention. The assessment identified strong evidence of effectiveness, wide accessibility, significant benefits for users, and robust mitigation of potential risks through trained clinicians and clinical governance processes. Evidence of this will be emailed separately. |
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