A total of 102 GPs were referred to the service in October - the highest total in a single month since June last year.
The GP Health Service revealed this week that just over 500 GPs had registered with the service since the start of the current financial year in April. In total, the GP Health Service is now supporting 1,363 GPs facing burnout, stress, addiction or other mental health issues.
Another very busy month at NHS GP Health - more than 100 new referrals this month, with more than 500 registrations since April. Current caseload is 1363 GP patients from across England. Please contact us if you think we can help 0300 0303 300 pic.twitter.com/9svqM6W4DY
— NHS GP Health (@NHSGPHealth) November 2, 2018
Lucy Warner, chief executive of the GP Health Service and the NHS Practitioner Health Programme told GPonline that the GP service had seen 102 new registrations in October, and 81 the month before.
New registrations ran at around 70 per month last year, and the rate had increased slightly in 2018, she said. It was impossible to know whether the increased registrations reflected 'a higher level of distress' among the GP population, or simply wider awareness of the service, she said.
'At our annual conference last month nearly 400 people sang "You’ll never walk alone" - and that's the key message,' said Ms Warner. 'You’re not alone - there is help, just make contact.'
Read more
> Practical tips for dealing with burnout
> How does the NHS GP Health Service work?
> How can GPs access support if they are struggling to cope?
Research published in October found that GPs were more at risk of burnout than doctors in other medical specialties - while a GMC report in July warned that one in four trainee doctors felt burnt out.
NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens announced funding for a national rollout of the NHS Practitioner Health Programme earlier this year. The GP Health Service was rolled out across England at the start of 2017.
