National Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers

17th September

 

memorial tree icon

Since 2011 more than 2,500 health and care workers are recorded as having lost their lives to suicide.

(Based on ONS statistics).

Those numbers may be considerably higher where a verdict of suicide cannot be reached, but indicators suggest that suicidal thoughts may have played a part in an unexpected death.

For the last ten years at Practitioner Health, we have been collecting the names, photos and details of those we hear about and now NHS England have introduced a programme to collect these formally and create a better understanding of the factors and issues which may lead to suicide in the workforce.

We want to remember each individual and provide a day each September where we can take a moment for reflection and remember those people, who were our friends, our colleagues, our family and who are no longer with us.

View the National Suicide Memorial Day Communications Tool Kit

Doctors in Distress - National Memorial Tree Campaign

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.

Learn more about the National Memorial Tree Campaign

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. Buy a pin here.
  • 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. Learn more about the National Memorial Tree Campaign.

Stay up to date with plans for the National Memorial Day on 17th September

Please join us this year on 17th September in a moment of reflection - you can do this in a quiet moment on your own, as a team or use the opportunity to mark the day across your organisation.

If you would like to be kept up to date with further information please submit your contact details.

"I want you to know that you matter. I want you to know that this can and will get better. Please speak to someone, call the Samaritans or text Shout to 85258. I want you to live."

"Please remember that help is ALWAYS available. Even if it feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, it doesn't mean there is no light, just that you can't see it right now. If you feel hopeless, it doesn't mean there is no hope. You might want to end your pain, but there are safe ways to get through any situation with the right support. Every life matters. You matter. Even when you can't see this universal truth, it remains true. "

"Things might feel difficult now.

You might have experienced challenges before and worked your way through, but maybe this one is hitting harder, or the strengths and strategies you leaned on before aren't available. That's ok.

You don't need to manage this on your own.

For those of us who work in this field, it's our privilege to stand alongside you in the hardest moments.

Please, do reach out.

You don’t have to carry this alone."

"I want to let you know that things do get better, you don’t have to feel like this. Asking for help is not weak or a failure, it is brave. Keep safe and call for help now. So many of us have been where you are and are happier than we would have thought possible after getting help."

 

Published: Aug 15, 2025

Contact

NHS Practitioner Health
Riverside Medical Centre
Hobart House
St George Wharf
London
SW8 2JB

Telephone: 0300 0303 300

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