What do you do if you feel stressed at work?

Most stress is not work related, it may be due to illness or your home circumstances.

The causes of your stress at work include: lack of job control about how you do your job; lack of support from others including co-workers and an organisational culture that does not allow for weaknesses, poor work conditions (e.g. noise, poor lighting, lack of space, extreme temperatures, poor ergonomics), repetitive tasks and low pay; extreme demands (e.g. long hours, high responsibility, high commitment), or very low demands leading to boredom, lack of meaning in work; poor relationships that don’t reduce conflicts like bullying; difficult roles causing uncertainty with poorly defined or conflicting roles: and changes in the organisation that aren’t managed or communicated effectively.

Skills that may help to reduce stress at work include desk and time management, goal setting and problem solving, prioritising, delegating, handling meetings and assertiveness. Other personal strategies can help stress from other causes.

The Health and safety Executive offers advice www.hse.gov.uk/stress.

The Chartered institute of Personnel and Development website gives useful information www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/health/stress/stress.htm

Burnout describes the emotional and psychological results of long continued stress. Your enthusiasm, commitment and conflicting roles can be the starting points for the development of burnout, in which mental and emotional exhaustion can lead to apathy and revulsion.

There are schemes to help local GP:

The Cope scheme

Don't worry - you are not alone. The COPE Scheme will be able to help you by providing:

Counselling on a one to one basis
Organisational advice
Problem solving
Emotional support
http://www.avonlmc.org.uk/portal/support-network/cope-scheme-for-gps.html

The Avon COPE scheme is encouraged by Avon LMC and financially supported by the local Primary Care Trusts.

An Independent Confidential Support and Counselling Service for training Grade Doctors in the South West funded by the SW deaneries:

'One to One' counselling provides the service phone 0845 130 5354 4.30pm-6.30pm each weekday. At other times email oneto.one@virgin.net

Other organisations that can help include:

National Counselling Service for Sick Doctors
Tel: 0870 241 0535 (9.30am-4.30pm)

Sick Doctors trust
undertakes to provide early intervention and treatment for doctors suffering from addiction to alcohol or other drugs, thus protecting patients while offering hope, recovery and rehabilitation to affected colleagues and their families
http://www.sick-doctors-trust.co.uk/

BMA Counselling and Doctors for Doctors Unit
for help, counselling and personal support tel 08459 200 169. This is a 24 hour service and gives you a choice of immediate access to a counsellor or details of a doctor-adviser who you can call directly

Doctors' support line
help with work difficulties, anxiety, depression or family problems. The Support Line is staffed by volunteer doctors to provide peer support for doctors & medical students in the UK
www.doctorssupport.org; tel 0870 765 0001

The British Doctors and Dentists Group for those recovering from substance abuse Tel 0870 444 5163

The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund has set up a website Support4Doctors that aims to put doctors and their families in touch with a range of organisations who can help.
http://www.support4doctors.org

Useful articles about Stress include

• Predicting stress in general practitioners: 10 year follow up postal survey
• Helping sick doctors

If you have any suggestions about how we can improve this section email them to contact@bristolgpsolutions.org.uk