The grief over my daughter's suicide never ends, but I can help other junior doctors

As a doctor himself, Jonathan Phillips knows how isolating the job can be, which is why he is raising awareness of mental wellbeing at his trust.

Jonathan first heard of his daughter Lauren’s disappearance in the early hours of the morning on 1 March 2017. Her car was found abandoned near a beach in Devon after she had been reported missing from her job in the A&E department of a NHS trust.

Lauren was 26 and in her third year as a junior doctor in the south-west of England when she took her own life.

"From the moment they start, all newly qualified doctors encounter sexism, racism and verbal, physical and sexual abuse, as well as extremes of distress, rage and despair. They are in a highly stressful working environment where mistakes may prove fatal to their patients and career," says Jonathan. "Young trainees are individuals with differing life experiences, resulting in varying strengths and vulnerabilities; some will need shielding from certain situations at the start of their careers. If we are lucky enough to identify someone in a crisis we should not merely signpost the route to help, but guide and accompany them along the path to recovery."

Prompted by his own experience and other junior doctor suicides, Jonathan and colleagues constructed a wellbeing and resilience training day for foundation year doctors at his trust. It was delivered by senior doctors with a responsibility and interest in junior doctor training and supervision, and was quite separate from the already congested induction programme.

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Source: Guardian, 10 October 2019