Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to support the mental health of (a) doctors and (b) dentists during the covid-19-outbreak.
We recognised there would be a need for additional mental health support for all National Health Service staff and commissioned NHS England and NHS Improvement to develop a comprehensive emotional, psychological and practical support package for all NHS staff.
A support package was launched on 8 April 2020 and includes a helpline and text service for counselling and support, a dedicated bereavement helpline and a range of wellbeing apps. All the support available is free and can be accessed via the following link:
The health and wellbeing of NHS staff is of vital importance. ‘We are the NHS: People Plan 2020/21’, published on 30 July, sets out further action that will be taken to support staff health and wellbeing.