Health service for doctors 'advisory’

Press, 10 September 1988, Page 8

Health service for doctors 'advisory’

By

SARAH SANDS

A health advisory service for doctors could not stop doctors with health problems treating

patients, said its national co-ordinator, Dr Norman . Walker, yesterday. ' The Doctors’ Health Advisory Service, set up six months ago, was an advisory service, not a treatment service, said Dr Walker. “It may be that part of our advice is that they temporarily do not see people, but we have no ■ disciplinary powers. ; “We may advise some- • one but we have no teeth * and we do not want to have teeth — we are an advisory service.” If a doctor’s health problem could not be re- > solved by the service, the matter was referred back - to the person who initially told the service of the - problem for them to take

it further, said Dr Walker. Discipline was a matter for the Medical Council. In a paper to the Psychiatric Epidemiology conference, Dr Walker said that the service had been started after increasing awareness that problems among health professionals were not being dealt with.

In its first six months, the service had received 30 referrals — seven were self-referrals, 20 from other doctors, and three from family members, said Dr Walker. “All areas of the profession have had referrals with wide-ranging problems which have been quite minor health matters which people have not managed to deal with through the ordinary system.”

The problems included 10 related to alcohol and drugs, 10 psychiatric, five

intellectual impairment, one physical impairment, two matrimonial, and two legal, he said. “The number and spread of problems seem to indicate the difficulties the profession is having in getting often simple advice.”

Doctors often felt they should be able to deal with their problems but they could not, said Dr Walker.

“We belong to the human race. The fact that we have training in one area does not exclude us from the problems other men and women have.” The service offered a confidential, anonymous and personal service, he said.

“We are trying to avoid any disciplinary role — we are really trying to help someone with a particular problem on a personal basis.”