Support For Dentists

Received in July 2020 & for your information

ConfiDental helpline – message sent on behalf of the ConfiDental Trustees.

Dear LDC Secretary/ Admin / Chair

I am sending this email in the hope that you may circulate details of the Confidental helpline amongst your members and via your distribution lists.

We are all aware of how dentistry can be a stressful occupation and that psychological stress of caring for patients combined with fears of litigation and investigation by the Regulators, running a small business, managing staff and a contractual obligation add to the everyday trauma of life can sometimes spill over into sleepless nights and even thoughts of suicide. In Jan 2019, researchers from the BDA found high levels of stress and burnout amongst a survey of more than 2,000 UK dentists, amongst whom almost a fifth (17.6%) admitted they had seriously thought about suicide.

It was the individual experiences of Jeremy Cooper, Lauren Harrhy, Jenny Pinder and Keith Hayes which led to the setting up of the helpline organisation Confidental.

Our purpose is to provide emotional first aid for dentists in distress, 24/7. We invite you to offload and talk through your issues in complete confidence. The Confidental helpline is provided by trained volunteers who are all dentists and give their time freely to listen to colleagues. They are not judgemental and often may be able to trigger a cathartic point from which the caller can begin to think about the right solutions for them. Sometimes we can offer callers signposting to others who are best able to provide further assistance. Frequently, we are told by callers that merely having the time to talk about their concerns has been extremely helpful.

Confidental. can be contacted 24 / 7 on 0333 987 5158 or via our facebook page ConfiDental – Helpline for Dentists in Crisis or visit our website at https://www.confidental-helpline.org/
Many thanks for your assistance

John Lewis
On behalf of the ConfiDental Trustees.
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Ghyllmount Dental Practice
4 Hobson Court, Penrith 40 Business Park
Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 9GQ
Tel: 01768 862291
admin@ghyllmountdental.co.uk
www.ghyllmountdental.co.uk