“The alarming rate of suicide among healthcare workers should be a wake-up call in the urgent need to support them” (a blog by Claire Goodwin-Fee, CEO of Frontline 19)

Summary

Frontline19 was established at the start of the Covid pandemic as an urgent response to support frontline workers who were under extreme pressure and experiencing significant mental health challenges.

Psychotherapist Claire Goodwin-Fee is the founder and CEO of Frontline19. In this blog, Claire explains how systemic pressures and stigma around mental health are continuing to leave healthcare staff extremely vulnerable.

Content

Frontline workers, particularly in healthcare, are often overlooked when it comes to mental health support. These individuals are regularly exposed to traumatic incidents and are frequently required to function under highly stressful conditions. Despite this, there has historically been little provision for their mental health. Frontline19 is working to address this gap, both by providing direct support and by tackling the stigma that prevents many healthcare workers from seeking help.

When I set up Frontline 19, I initially thought I’d be able to help around 50 people, but on the first day, 750 people came forward and we had to adapt - fast. Now in 2025, we have supported over a million individuals through one-to-one counselling, psychological support, and group interventions.

A broad spectrum of challenges

We receive requests for support from individuals facing a broad spectrum of challenges. These include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - often triggered or exacerbated by their work during the pandemic - as well as suicidal ideation, which remains alarmingly prevalent among healthcare workers. Other common issues include anxiety, stress, and depression.

Recently, there’s been a noticeable shift in the nature of calls. While the acute trauma of the pandemic has subsided, the ongoing effects of working during this time as well as the current pressures of working within a severely depleted healthcare system with over 100,000 vacancies are taking their toll. Staff frequently report feeling demoralised, burnt out, and physically and emotionally exhausted. The unrelenting demands of their roles have led to a chronic state of distress for many, highlighting the need for sustained support even beyond crisis periods.

1 in 4 have suicidal thoughts

One of my primary concerns is the alarming rate of suicide among healthcare workers; we know that 1 in 4 have experienced these thoughts. The combination of unmanageable workloads, exposure to trauma, and inadequate support creates a perfect storm for acute mental ill health. Additionally, the year-round pressures - such as seasonal surges in patient numbers and the cumulative effects of staff shortages - are creating long-term damage to individuals and the wider system.

Systemic pressures and the normalisation of burnout

The mental health challenges staff face are deeply intertwined with systemic issues. These include chronic understaffing, lack of resources, and the erosion of social care services, which leave healthcare workers trying to fill impossible gaps. Many also face moral injury - the psychological distress that occurs when they are unable to provide the level of care they know their patients need. The constant exposure to such situations takes a significant toll, leading to feelings of guilt, shame, and helplessness.

I’m deeply concerned about the normalisation of burnout. Many staff no longer see chronic stress as an anomaly but rather as an inescapable reality of their jobs. This level of despair and resignation is worrying, as it suggests systemic failures that need urgent attention.

Unsafe conditions for staff and patients

Many healthcare workers face unsafe conditions daily, where systemic resource shortages create high-risk environments for both patients and staff. When adverse outcomes occur, the consequences can be devastating for patients and deeply distressing for the staff involved. In these situations, professionals often find themselves under intense scrutiny, facing potential repercussions despite having done everything possible within the constraints they are working under. These circumstances place their professional safety in jeopardy, and the level of support they receive afterward varies greatly, leaving many to navigate the aftermath alone.

Addressing the root causes

We believe in addressing the root causes, not just the symptoms. This means embedding meaningful, mandatory, and regular mental health training for all healthcare staff, from students to senior professionals. Although staff frequently face very difficult situations, the additional pressures of working in a system on its knees means that sadly mental ill health has almost become an occupational hazard - and one that requires the proper understanding and support to address it.

The current reliance on “resilience training” is counterproductive. It places the burden on individuals to adapt to broken systems rather than the NHS addressing the systemic issues itself. Instead, we need structural changes, such as improved working conditions, better staffing levels, and access to basic amenities like free parking, 24/7 meal options, rest areas, and designated on-call rooms.

Supporting staff wellbeing would have a direct positive impact on patients. When healthcare workers feel valued, supported, and equipped to do their jobs, they are better able to provide high-quality care. This, in turn, enhances patient safety and outcomes.

The alarming rate of suicide among healthcare workers should be a wake-up call in the urgent need to support them.

Contact Frontline 19

Individuals can visit our website frontline19.com to complete a secure form or email us at [email protected]. From there, they will be triaged and connected with appropriate support. Our services are entirely free for individuals and completely confidential. We are not an immediate crisis response service.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and you feel at immediate risk of harm, please call 999.

Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email [email protected]

Share your experience

Do you work in healthcare? What did you think about the issues raised in Claire's blog? How could staff wellbeing being better supported? What impact would improvements have on patient safety? Please comment below (sign up first for free) or contact us at [email protected]. 

Related reading

• Balancing care: The psychological impact of ensuring patient safety
• Top picks for staff psychological safety
• Understanding moral injury: a short film (HEE and NHSE&I)
• Hidden wounds
• Why I ‘walk on by’