April is Stress Awareness Month and a timely point to reflect on the challenges faced by general practice over the course of the last year. The Coronavirus pandemic has been a very stressful time for everyone, particularly for healthcare professionals working under strenuous, ever-changing conditions, while striving to provide the best care for their patients.
With that in mind we wanted to create awareness about this issue and provide a platform for GPs where they can access support to help them continue to work effectively. Our dedicated GP Support team at Londonwide LMCs are continuing to develop the GP Professional Support Network for all GPs who work in the areas of London that we cover. The platform provides confidential, expert and impartial one-to-one advice to any individual GP.
Whilst the spread of Coronavirus is slowing in the Capital, the demands of GPs and their practice teams remain high. We encourage all GPs to seek help if they are in need and to make use of the resources available to them. As of April 2021 it has been over seven months since the launch and the platform, with positive feedback received from our constituent GPs and mental health professionals.
As part of our work to promote these messages we produced these videos and have been sharing them on social media over the course of the month.