National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers
Every year, on 17th September, we come together to remember the healthcare workers we’ve lost to suicide—colleagues, friends, and loved ones whose contributions made a difference, and whose absence is deeply felt.
Doctors in Distress, together with NHS Practitioner Health, are committed to honouring their memory through our annual National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers. The theme for 2025 is:
Hope Through Action
We invite you to join us in three simple but powerful steps: Remember, Reflect, Act.
Download some useful resources in our Communications Toolkit here to mark the day at your organisation.
Why We Remember
Since 2011, 2,500 healthcare workers in the UK have died by suicide—on average, four every week (source: Office for National Statistics). These were dedicated professionals, family members, and friends who were struggling, often in silence.
Our Memorial Day is a time to honour their lives, acknowledge the challenges faced by those in the profession, and spark change to protect the mental health of healthcare staff today.
Remember
Many NHS organisations have planted a memorial tree through our National Memorial Tree Campaign.
These trees are powerful, living tributes. They also offer a tranquil space for staff to pause, reflect, and care for their own wellbeing.
On 17th September, we encourage those with memorial trees to hold a ceremony or take a moment by the tree to remember those who have died.
Our aim is for every NHS trust and primary care setting plant a memorial tree in honour of healthcare workers lost to suicide. To find out more email contact@doctors-in-distress.org.uk
Reflect
On 17th September, we encourage you to take a moment in your day to reflect.
This could be:
- Gathering with your team by your memorial tree
- Lighting a candle at home
- Sharing stories and memories with loved ones
- Spending a quiet moment in nature
However you choose to mark the day, your reflection honours those we’ve lost.
Act
Change begins with small steps.
- By wearing one of our Memorial Badges, you show your support for mental health awareness and help reduce the stigma around suicide.Each badge is a conversation starter—a symbol of solidarity and a reminder that no one should suffer in silence.Badges cost £5 (min order 5).
- You can also support by joining our National Memorial Tree Campaign. Having one of these trees in your setting helps to create spaces of remembrance and healing across the country. If you want to find out more, or plant a tree at your place of work, please visit our page here. or email contact@doctors-in-distress.org.uk
Together, We Can Make a Difference
Let’s stand together to remember those we’ve lost and create a better future for those still here.
2024 Event:
For our first National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Staff in 2024, various NHS organisations across the country held memorial tree ceremonies to mark the event.
Ceremonies took place at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, Salford Royal Hospital, The Christie Foundation in Manchester and Aspen Medical Practice, Gloucester, which was the first GP Practice in the UK to plant a memorial tree. Healthcare workers from all over also held minute silences, including those at hospitals with existing memorial trees, lit candles or took time out of their day to reflect and remember colleagues who have died by suicide.
The main launch event was at NHS Practitioner Health’s headquarters in London, where a new memorial plaque dedicated to healthcare workers who have died by suicide, was unveiled by our Patron Professor Dame Clare Gerada.
