Accessing The Service

Regulated NHS and care staff in Scotland

Do you need confidential mental healthcare?

The Workforce Specialist Service, delivered by NHS Practitioner Health, is a confidential primary care-led, multidisciplinary, mental health treatment service. It’s delivered by a team of mental health care providers that can treat professionals suffering from a range of mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, depression or addiction, with a focus on the impact this may have on their work.

Regulated Health and social work/social care professionals may be concerned about accessing help for mental health or addictions problems for various reasons. The Workforce Specialist Service has been established so that you can get the help you need confidentially because of agreements that have been put in place with relevant professional regulators.

This service is available to all regulated professionals working in health and social work/social care in Scotland who, due to confidentiality reasons, cannot access care or treatment through their own GP or other local services.

WSS through Practitioner Health would not usually accept registrations when the patients concerned are already receiving treatment from a secondary care provider however, we will assess such registrations and consider if we may have an additional role.

Important Information

The WSS is being delivered by NHS Practitioner Health which is a service based in England.

There are some practical implications of this arrangement which patients are kindly asked to consider when accessing the service.

Assessments will be undertaken digitally and remotely (video/telephone) by clinicians based in England.
NHS Practitioner Health can write to a patient’s registered GP to ask if they would issue a prescription recommended by the service. Alternatively NHS Practitioner Health can prescribe directly for the patient but this would incur a prescription charge as is the usual occurrence with NHS England prescriptions. The cost is currently £9.90 per item, from the 1st May 2024.
If any tests or investigations are necessary to support your care, a local provider will be needed for support. This will be discussed with you during your appointment.
In-patient treatment for addiction can be arranged by NHS Practitioner Health. They use a small number of approved providers. Scottish patients can access any of those available to NHS Practitioner Health patients including one in Scotland.

Consultation appointments and therapy sessions will take place using video technology via our booking platform. Occasionally, following assessment, a clinician may feel that a face-to-face appointment is required and we will liaise to ensure this can happen.

Register now for mental health support via NHS Practitioner Health

If you are eligible, complete our online form to register with the service.

Check if you’re eligible

Eligibility criteria

Regulated professionals working in health and social work/social care in Scotland who, due to confidentiality reasons, cannot access care or treatment through their own GP or other local services.

We are a confidential service which understands the special needs of health and care professionals with mental illness or addiction, how their role might impact their ability to receive confidential care; and how their condition might impact on their work and potentially their own patients. We work in the unique interface between health care practitioners as regulated professionals and as patients with a mental illness. As such we may also be able to offer some additional expertise where staff are undergoing an investigation or complaint and mental illness may have played a part in this or manifested as a result.

We are a self-referral service in the main but can accept supporting assessments from local services as long as the reason for accessing the service meets our criteria around confidentiality.

Exclusion Criteria

The following exclusion criteria will apply:

Where the patient/referrer primary need is for second opinion occupational health assessments or medical legal advice.
Patients with complex chronic illness that requires the input of local NHS services e.g. patients with suicidal behaviour, psychosis, serious eating disorders, and patients with complex forensic histories and those requiring crisis mental health services.
Patients seeking assessment and treatment for ADHD and Autism Spectrum disorders.
Patients seeking assessment and treatment of physical health issues.
Health or care professionals who are not registered nor seeking registration with the relevant regulator are not eligible.
Patients who have retired and do not intend on returning to the clinical or care workforce with a licence to practise.
Health or care professionals who are existing patients but who are then erased from the professional register and/or have retired or no longer hold a licence to practice will be discharged and transferred to other support services on completion of treatment or within 12 months, whichever is sooner.
We do not usually accept referrals when the patients concerned are already receiving treatment from a secondary care provider however, we will assess such registrations and consider if we may have an additional role. PH may provide signposting or liaison to ensure patients access appropriate care depending on their circumstances.

Complete the registration forms

If you have any difficulties accessing or completing the forms, or would prefer to speak to someone in the service please call us on 0300 0303 300 during our opening hours. We are closed on bank holidays.

Complete a registration and wellbeing assessment form

Following completion of your registration, we aim to contact you within 5 working days.

Please be aware that our clinicians and therapists are unable to consult with patients who are abroad.

Patient pathway

Following your registration, you can find more information about our patient pathway.

Further support

Please visit our Self-help pages which will provide you with other avenues of support you can explore.

Wellbeing Support for staff in Scotland

The National Wellbeing Hub offers a broad range of advice and evidence-based digital resources to help staff with issues such as stress, anxiety, low mood, insomnia/poor sleep and resilience.

Visit the National Wellbeing Hub

Support in an emergency or crisis

If you are in crisis or feel unsafe or at risk to yourself or others, then you should contact 111/999, your own GP or attend your nearest Emergency Department/A&E as soon as possible.

NHS PH does provide a 24/7 crisis text service and you can access this by texting "NHSPH" to 85258.

The Samaritans can also provide confidential support and are open 24 hours a day.

Visit the Samaritans website for help

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