The Physical Activity and Lifestyle Toolkit has been designed by the RCGPs in partnership with Sport England, to be used by primary care professionals in the UK.  This will  work along side the RCGP Active Charter which supports GP practices to increase physical activity among both staff and patients.

FREE wellbeing apps for NHS staff collated by NHS Practitioner Health.

Take a look at the RCGP Wellbeing page of useful organisations to contact.

Live well: Five steps to mental wellbeing – from NHS Choices was written for the public, with video and a range of resources to draw on.

The MindTools Stress management collection includes explanations and action-oriented tools and tips around stress, burnout, time management and lots more.

Check out the Mental Health and Wellbeing pages of  NHS Choices.

Art of Brilliance: promoting positive thinking and making the most of the resources that you have.

Wellbeing podcasts from the Mental Health Foundation – an introduction to the skills and techniques that can help you live a mentally healthier life.

First You are a group of health care professionals who have developed a website to signpost the help and resources they wish they’d had available to them in the past. First You Resources include grief, self care, stress & anxiety, inspiration & distraction and crisis support.

CBT based resources for everyone

Living life to the full  A life skills course based on CBT techniques; lots of practical little things we can do to positively impact on the quality of life. Set up by a psychiatrist and teaching key knowledge in how to tackle and respond to issues and demands that we all meet in our everyday lives.

Relaxation solutions  from the Foundation for Positive Mental Health – Resources for GPs and patients: watch the Breathing Relaxation exercise video (4 minutes) or listen to Muscle Relaxation.

Creating Resilience – Battling GP burnout – Report on data from 1,784 GPs who completed a personal assessment survey. Dr Alastair Dobbin talks about some simple solutions which create resilience and help people to cope with stress.

Guidance to help NHS managers reduce stress in the workplace – Comprehensive guidance from NHS Employers to help managers throughout the NHS reduce stress in the workplace and better support staff who experience it.

Managing Personal Resilience – and e-learning resource from the Management Advisory Service.

i-resilience provides a comprehensive understanding of personal resilience.  Having completed a  questionnaire users receive a free personal i-resilience report and can access the i-resilience portal which allows them to develop their resilience in line with the results of their report. Before taking the free i-resilience survey, you will need to sign-up to Good Day At Work – a free, online community where individuals, professionals and experts can connect and be inspired by wellbeing.

Mindfulness is a mind-body approach to well-being that can help you change the way you think about experiences and reduce stress and anxiety.

Be Mindful

The focus of an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics meeting on health policy and education (June 2014), key emerging themes from the Panel discussion were:

• Well-being must be seen as integral to core policy objectives in health and education, and not separate from them: mental health is inseparable from physical health, and children’s mental health and well-being is inseparable from their capacity to learn and achieve. A more holistic approach is needed.
•  In both health and education, a key challenge for scaling up mindfulness programmes is building the stock of trained mindfulness teachers whilst maintaining standards. It was suggested that mindfulness should be included in teacher training and in medical students’ training as a matter of course.

Read about the benefits of Mindfulness for GPs in GP online. 

To find out more try the e-LfH Introduction to Mindfulness

Mindfulness for mental wellbeing from NHS Choices.

Oxford Mindfulness Centre – the Centre offers education and training. Mindfulness training as part of the core training of health professionals

Free Guided Meditations – from the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. An introduction to mindfulness meditation that you can practice on your own directly from your computer or download as iTunes Podcasts.

HeadSpace – a collection of mindfulness sessions to suit every mood and lifestyle including a free Take 10 programme – just 10 minutes a day.

NHS Practitioner Health Service (incorporates NHS GP Health Service)  – “a free, confidential NHS service for doctors and dentists across England with mental illness and addiction problems, who are working or looking to return to clinical practice.”

There are Professional Support Units which provide support for doctors and dentists across England including Thames Valley and  Wessex.

The BMA has a page of Sources of support for your wellbeing including organisations, services and websites which can offer help. Whether you are struggling with addiction or looking for legal advice, find signposts to support.

Sick Doctors Trust Confidential advice and help for doctors suffering from addictions, hope and rehabilitation for colleagues and their families, and protection for patients.

The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund is a charity for doctors, medical students and their families that provides financial support, money advice and information when it is most needed due to illness, age, bereavement or disability.

The Doctors’ Support Network (DSN) – a fully confidential, friendly self-help group for doctors with mental health concerns.

The Cameron Fund is a medical benevolent charity providing support to GPs and their families in times of financial need, whether through ill-health, disability, death or loss of employment.