What We Do

We welcome enquiries from any source and operate a 24 hour helpline which is advertised in several professional journals and on the website of the Medical Council on Alcohol.We are happy to take anonymous calls and to talk to colleagues or members of the family of a doctor who is experiencing problems.

Among the options we may suggest are attendance at meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, the British Doctors and Dentists Group or local support groups. We can offer contact in most parts of the country with a doctor who has suffered from addiction and experienced the process of recovery and rehabilitation. We can also provide information about the treatment options available. If requested, we can liaise with a doctor's GP about referral and funding.

We can also offer advocacy and support for those involved in proceedings before the General Medical Council or the Civil Courts.

At the instigation of Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, the National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS), is actively reviewing arrangements for the identification, treatment and support of addicted doctors and SDT is represented on the group which is developing a pilot Practitioners Health Programme.

SDT Trustees also give talks and run seminars at medical schools and professional meetings and we exhibit at several conferences each year.