Pegasus Health Pastoral Care Programme

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION In New Zealand, 41% of general practitioners (GPs) intend to retire by 2025. Increasing workforce shortages and other stressors are putting doctors at risk of burnout, which in turn can put patients at risk of harm. Offering a range of resources can signal an organisation’s commitment to physician wellness while improving patient safety and organisational stability. AIM To replace the current reactive approach to impaired doctors with a proactive system of monitoring performance with the goal of identifying problems early. METHODS This paper reports on an initiative of Pegasus Health Charitable to provide pastoral care to GPs in Canterbury experiencing increased stress, burnout or problems leading to impaired performance. RESULTS The pastoral care programme has been running successfully for 9 years and has helped 32 GPs. Because of the low numbers, the programme needs to be individualised and confidential. CONCLUSION Recent developments have seen Pegasus Health adopt a systematic approach to monitoring and supporting health practitioners. This includes the monitoring of available data on GPs at risk. Data collection is being used to manage the “psychological health” of doctors, including complaints, prescribing, referral data and attendance at education sessions.