Vision Objectives Values
Our Vision:
Our vision is to protect mental health and prevent suicide in healthcare workers.
Our Objectives:
• To promote and protect the mental health of health professionals and prevent suicide
• To reduce stigma around mental health in the health sector
• To promote a duty of care by employers for the mental health of health workers
• To develop and provide initiatives/interventions to promote & protect the mental health of all health workers.

Our Values:
Compassionate
We treat everyone in our groups, and ourselves, with compassion and care.
Authentic
We say what we do and do what we say. We talk about mental health and break down stigma.
Nurturing
We care for and support all participants of our programmes, our facilitators and our speakers, encouraging them all to take time to reflect on their experiences.
Innovative
We were the first organisation to provide Long COVID support groups and continue to find innovative and new ways to support all healthcare workers.
Determined
We are determined that all healthcare workers have the space and time to be cared for and heard. This in turn will help reduce the alarming rate of suicide.
Dynamic
We are energetic and adaptable to keep our participants front and centre of all actions.
The Doctors in Distress Story
Doctors in Distress was founded in 2019 by Amandip Sidhu following the suicide of his brother Jagdip. Jagdip was a consultant cardiologist. He was overworked, burned out and felt he had nowhere to turn. He believed taking his life was the only answer.
Amandip established the charity so no other healthcare worker would have to experience the same pain as Jagdip.
At the time of writing, healthcare workers are facing immense pressure. A 2023 survey shows that 34% of staff are suffering from burnout and 37.4% are emotionally exhausted because of work and the mental impact of the pandemic is still being felt by many on a daily basis.
At Doctors in Distress we strongly believe in the power of talking. This is why we have set up our peer support groups – spaces where healthcare workers can access support away from work and speak with other people experiencing the same stresses. Our groups are a place to share, to reflect, to receive advice and to support others.
We are also working with decision makers to ensure that mental health support is prioritised for all healthcare workers. Whilst the stigma around talking about mental health remains, change will be limited. We are working with leaders to facilitate transformational change within the healthcare sector to support staff and reduce the stigma.