Beneath The White Coat
The launch performance at the Royal College of General Practitioners in March 2022
Professional staff are human too
Dame Clare Gerada, President RCGP, PRCGP FRCPsych FRCP (Hons) writes about the play and why it came about:
The ‘Doctors in Distress’ charity aims to provide a way of giving easier access, not just for doctors but all medical practitioners, to mental health support that has been sadly lacking - after all, professional health practitioners are human too. It was particularly apparent during lockdown that doctors and others engaged in healthcare were working at maximum capacity, often at the expense of their own mental health and wellbeing.
To help promote the work of ‘Doctors in Distress,’ we commissioned Brian Daniels to write a play inspired by my book ‘Beneath the White Coat’. Brian created a fictional GP practice with a range of characters representing a range of GP practice workers and the stresses and strains they have felt in recent years. We join them on each of their journeys during lockdown, laugh with them and cry with them. When the play premiered at the Wounded Healer Conference held at the Royal College of GPs in London in March 2022, we in the audience recognised characters and colleagues with whom we had all worked. What came across loud and clear are the benefits afforded to any group of stressed professionals provided by Reflective Space Meetings.
I wholeheartedly applaud the work of Brian Daniels and his team on delivering the play so skilfully to a large group - the feedback I received was terrific and we hope that the play can be seen by many more medical professionals. I would also like to give a shout out to the ‘Doctors in Distress’ charity - please help to support it in any way that you can.
The ‘Doctors in Distress’ charity was founded by Amandip Sidhu after the tragic death in 2018 of his cardiologist brother, Dr Jagdip Sidhu who worked close to burnout and didn’t feel able to ask for help.
