As a member of the RCGP you will be part of a local Faculty, and the staff and Faculty Board members are in place to help any member with any enquiry. Each Board has district reps, and also educational leads. If you want local support or guidance, you should contact the RCGP Faculty office and they will put you in touch with the appropriate person who can offer support and advice. The GPs on Faculty Boards are there as volunteers for the RCGP, not as specialist occupational health advisers or counsellors, but they will help as best they can.

Your own GP is also able to provide support for health issues and you might want to contact them if you think the current problems you face are impacting on your health.

In addition there are two organisations offering support specifically to GP's

The Cameron Fund

The only medical benevolent fund that solely supports general practitioners and their dependents. It provides support to GPs and their families in times of financial need, whether through ill-health, disability, death or loss of employment. It also helps those who are already suffering from financial hardship and those who are facing it.
T: 020 7388 0796
W: www.cameronfund.org.uk

The GP Lifestyle - Wellbeing in General Practice

The GP Lifestyle is an online course offering advice on stress management, alcohol, nutrition, exercise and substance misuse and can be accessed by visiting http://elearning.rcgp.org.uk

NHSE Coaching - Looking after you too

Individual coaching is available with a skilled and experienced coach who will work with you to discuss any area of your wellbeing that you would like to address. They will listen, ask questions and support you to develop practical strategies to cope with your situation and stay well. It might be that by having a one-off conversation you will have all the strategies you need, or you might find a few sessions helpful. It is all led by you.

For more details and information on how to apply for this coaching, please visit the 'Looking after you too' web page here.

TRiM Support available to Primary Care staff in Norfolk & Waveney

This service has been designed to support staff following potentially traumatic events via the TRiM Model. Free and confidential, this is available to Primary Care staff in Norfolk & Waveney.

Please watch the following Youtube video for more information. You can also view the leaflet and poster about this project.

Lead Employer Reasonable Adjustments Policy

As part of the Lead Employer’s ongoing commitment to ensure that all doctors and dentists in training with disabilities and long-term health conditions have access to the support that they need, managers and staff can now make use of an Adjustments Passport and Guidance.

Developed in consultation with disabled staff, managers and the Building Abilities Network, the Passport and Guidance offers a template and supplementary information for staff and managers to document decisions around workplace adjustments.

All host organisations are asked to familiarise themselves with the policy and the passport to ensure that all trainees placed at their host are offered the opportunity to have a confidential conversation about workplace adjustments, if they wish.  While not all trainees with long-term conditions and disabilities will require workplace adjustments, these tools assist in ensuring that available options are explored and consistently documented, and that taking a compassionate approach to identifying and removing barriers that individuals may face remains at the heart of workplace adjustment conversations. 

Mentoring

The RCOG Academic Board has set up a mentorship scheme for academic trainees. For more information, read the mentoring and support for trainees section of the website.

Dealing with Undermining

Undermining and bullying behaviour has long been recognised as a problem for trainees in O&G. In repeated GMC trainee surveys, O&G trainees report more undermining behaviour than any other specialty. Although the vast majority of undermining is carried out by consultants, midwives represent the second biggest group. Both the RCOG and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) condemn undermining and bullying behaviours, and have issued a joint statement with a commitment to develop an action plan to address this serious issue.

There is an RCOG Workplace Behaviour Champion in each school/deanery, who can give you independent advice about any unacceptable behaviour you’re experiencing. Find out more about the RCOG Workplace Behaviour Champions, and see the list of contact details.

The RCOG and RCM have produced an workplace behaviour toolkit, with resources to help address undermining and bullying behaviour in the workplace. The toolkit includes recommendations at various levels:

• Strategic interventions: recommendations for over-arching institutions such as the wider NHS, GMC, RCOG, RCM and others

• Unit, trust and local education provider interventions: recommendations for trusts and hospitals

• Departmental and team interventions: recommendations for departments, particularly around team working between obstetricians and midwives 

• Individual interventions: recommendations for individual victims and perpetrators of undermining

Follow the guidance below to try to deal with undermining behaviour.

Be assertive

Try to separate the just from the unjust. We all need to learn from our mistakes, even if the rebuke was unreasonable. If harsh words are spoken, accept them and move on. Replying with a ‘thank you’ can make the underminer see the error of their ways.

If your supervisor is not being supportive, spell out what you want them to do and why.

Talk it over

First of all, it’s best to talk it over with someone you can trust. Sometimes, what seems like undermining might not be.

Take no further action

If the undermining is an isolated event, you may not want to take any action. This should be on the understanding that it does not happen again. The underminer must realise their actions, explain their point of view and offer an apology.

Speak to the perpetrator

If the behaviour does happen again, speaking to the perpetrator can be very effective. Some undermining is not deliberate. Arrange a meeting in private and take along a trusted companion. Plan what you’re going to say beforehand to explain how their actions made you feel. Stay calm and polite. Afterwards, make a written record of the date, time, venue, persons present and what was discussed at the meeting.

Write it down

Make a note of each episode of undermining and any associated meetings. Collect any documents that may back this up, especially emails. This will be valuable evidence if the undermining persists, and will also allow you to reflect on the events.

Speak to a senior colleague

Before pursuing a formal complaint, try talking to a senior colleague. This can be any of the following, depending on where the undermining occurs:

• Educational Supervisor

• Clinical Supervisor

• College Tutor

• Clinical Director

• Medical HR

• Training Programme Director

• Postgraduate Dean

You may also wish to involve occupational health, the BMA or a Trainees’ Representative. Extra support can be found through counselling.

Research, Education and Travel Grants

The National Institute for Academic Anaesthesia (NIAA) has several small grants funded by the Royal College of Anaesthetists for the purpose of supporting research, education or travel connected with the study of Anaesthesia. Priority will be given to educational projects, the presentation of original work or the provision of education to developing countries.  Please go to the NIAA website for further information.

Association of Anaesthetists (AAGBI) Support and Wellbeing

The AAGBI Support and Wellbeing service provides Anaesthetists with access to the appropriate support and guidance for their professional and personal wellbeing. It provides a number of schemes that are relevant for Anaesthetists. 

For more information visit the AAGBI website