Mental health issues affect
one in four people
at some point in their lives.
Life can be hard as can working in Care or caring for an older person – it’s ok to feel stressed, anxious or a little lost.
This page hopes to provide you with resources you can access to help with any issues you may be having.
Obviously, it’s also “ok to be ok” and there are also resources for overall wellbeing and trying to help you build skills to ensure you stay mentally and physically healthy and well.
Talk
If you want to talk to someone directly there are helplines you can call.
Some of these services will be able to provide face to face and/or video calling appointments after your initial contact with them.
For Everyone
Helpline Partnership – find a Helpline
Website where you can search for helplines in the area you live in Britain. You can also search by type of helpline to ensure you receive the help you need, for instance, mental health helplines or money and debt helplines.
Breathing Space –
0800 83 85 87
Breathing Space is a free confidential phone service.
They provide a safe and supportive space by listening, offering advice and providing information for anyone experiencing low mood, anxiety or depression.
Monday to Thursday 6pm – 2am, Friday 6pm to Monday 6am
Cruse Scotland
Bereavement Support – 0800 802 6161
Helpline offering emotional support after a bereavement.
Initial support is usually given over the telephone. Further support includes webchat, face-to-face support, leaflets, support groups and support for children and young people.
Calls to 0808 80 numbers are free from landlines and mobiles in the UK and do not appear on itemised bills.
Open: Monday to Friday, 9am-8pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am-2pm
Samaritans
116 123
The Samaritans helpline is open 24 hours a day everyday, including Christmas and New Year. It is free of charge to use and all calls are confidential.
It is staffed by volunteers who are all highly trained and able to listen to you and help you talk through your concerns, worries and troubles.
They will provide you a safe space to be yourself and focus on your thoughts and feelings. They may ask questions to help you explore how you feel but they won’t make decisions for you, their advice or opinions are not important for the call as you are at the centre of the call.
Samaritans can also offer face to face support depending on where you live – details can be found on their website
Dedicated Staff Helplines
Here 4 U Team –
0131 451 7445
The Here 4 U Team are a team from NHS Lothian Psychology department offering a service for all Health and Social Care staff across NHS Lothian , including staff providing care to others in the community and in residential homes operated by the HSCPs.
The team can provide advice and information from a psychologist on any mental health difficulty; plus discussion of support/treatment options and referral/signposting where appropriate.
The team can help by offering a safe space for a quick access one off discussion with a trained professional to talk about what has been happening for you.
All conversations with the team are confidential. They do not communicate with your manager, team or GP.
To book a telephone or video appointment: email Here4U@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
or
call 0131 451 7445.
You can leave a message at any time, and the team will get back to you to arrange a time to speak.
National Wellbeing Helpline (AKA Health and Social Care Helpline) –
0800 111 4191
The helpline is a confidential service for everyone working in health and social care services in Scotland.
It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The service is operated by NHS 24 and trained practitioners provide a compassionate listening service and psychological first aid to callers.
They provide a range of support including directing people to resources available through the National Wellbeing Hub.
If needed, and with a caller’s agreement, they can also refer people on to local staff support services. They will need some of your details for this, such as your name.
There are no automatic notifications to GPs or employers and onward referral is only with the caller’s consent.
Apps
There are many apps available to download to your mobile phone or tablet that promote wellbeing.
Daylight
Daylight
Through cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques Daylight offers audio-led guidance tailored to your unique problematic thoughts, behaviours, and responses to worry and anxiety. The programme introduces you to a range of techniques and guides you through daily practice sessions
PTSD Coach
PTSD Coach
Although developed for US Veterans the app can be used for support by anyone who has, or may have, Post Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD).
It provides education on PTSD and provides tools to help manage aspects of daily life with PTSD.
- Recording and tracking symptoms
- Relaxation skills
- Positive self-talk
- Anger management
- Self-help strategies
Sleepio
Sleepio
Sleepio is a highly personalised, digital sleep improvement programme based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), that gets to the root of stubborn poor sleep.
Sorted: mental health (formerly Feeling Good)
Sorted: mental health
This app offers Positive Mental Training audio programmes based on scientific research which can help you feel better, lift your mood and recover from stress, anxiety, and depression by building resilience and developing positive feelings.
Websites
There are several websites you can go to for information, resources and links to help.
Some of these services will be able to provide face to face and/or video calling appointments after your initial contact with them.
A-N
Better Health – Every Mind Matters
More information on Better Health – Every Mind Matters
Resources, advice, articles and videos to help you look after your own mental health and create your own ‘Mind Plan’ action plan.
With dedicated pages on:
- Wellbeing tips
- Mental Health Issues
- Life’s challenges
- Supporting others
More information on Breathing Space
Has a range of advice, information, and resources for you or someone you may be worried about.
These include dedicated pages to feelings of:
- Depression
- Loneliness
- Stress and anxiety
- Suicide
As well as a dedicated pages on problems you or someone you know may be facing, including:
- Work and money worries
- Self-harm
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Bullying
- Mental Health problems
Citizens Advice Scotland Money Map
More Information on Citizen’s Advice Money Map Scotland
Concerns about or issues with money can impact greatly on both physical and mental wellbeing, Citizen Advice Scotland aims to help with this.
Citizen Advice Scotland has created an online tool, Money Map, which aims to be used as a one-stop shop to help people:
- Increase their income
- Reduce their bills
- Meet the costs of daily living.
The site also offers advice and support on the following issues:
- Immediate and essential money problems – including:
- Benefits and tax credits
- Grants
- Energy
- Making the most of your money – including:
- Budgeting
- General saving tips
- Banking
Cruse Scotland Bereavement Support
More Information on Cruse Scotland Bereavement Support
The website offers support to people who have experienced or are currently experiencing bereavement.
This loss may be anyone, it doesn’t matter who as different people will be affected differently by different loses, this may include the loss of:
- Parent
- A loved one
- Friend
- Child
- Work colleague
- Resident or Service user
Such loses can mean that our lives will never be the same again. Sometimes the feelings:
- Despair
- Loneliness
- Anger
- Or even guilt
May be overwhelming, so much so that you need help.
In time, and with support, you can work through such feelings and learn to live with loss.
More information on Health in Mind
A charity promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in Scotland. Information on
- Wellbeing resources
- Training courses
- Wellbeing therapies
- Wellbeing and nature
More information on the National Wellbeing Hub
The National Wellbeing Hub was established in 2020 to help support the wellbeing of everyone working in Health and Social Care in Scotland.
When you spend your days caring for others, it can be difficult to find the time to care for yourself.
The Hub hope to make it a little easier for you to take care of yourself and your colleagues.
Topics include:
- URGENT HELP
- Caring for you
- Mental wellbeing
- Physical wellbeing
- Financial wellbeing
- Supporting colleagues
- Psychologically safe
- Workplaces
- Supporting staff wellbeing
- Responding to emergencies
- Support for Carers
- Unpaid Carers
- Resource Library
- Video library
- Podcast library
- Webinar library
- Tip sheet library
- Learning
- Services
More information on NHS Inform: Mental Wellbeing
The website offers a variety of information, resources and links to help you manage your mental health and wellbeing.
It also offers advice and signposting to certain activities or materials you can try to help yourself or sources where you can get help.
Topics include:
- Addiction
- Anger management
- Anxiety and panic
- Dealing with traumatic events
- Fears and phobias
- Mental Health and self-help guides
- Pregnancy
- Stress
- Therapy and counselling
- Women’s Health
M-W
More information on PTSD UK
Working in Care can be tough and at times you may experience things that you have found shocking, upsetting or that you just can’t stop thinking about.
You may feel haunted by your experience – possibly experiencing flashbacks, nightmares or not being able to stop thinking about things you have experienced – this may also be true of life experiences you have had outwith work.
The above symptoms can sometimes be a sign of PTSD.
This UK wide website aims to help people with such symptoms no matter where their PTSD may have come from.
It includes information on:
- Causes
- Symptoms
- Treatment
RCN Foundation – Hardship Grant (for all Care Staff and not just for RCN members)
More information on the RCN Hardship Grant
Times are not always easy financially wise which can impact on both mental and physical wellbeing, the RCN Foundation hardship grants aim to help.
RCN Foundation hardship grants are open to all Care staff who may be experiencing financial difficulties. The grant is a gift, so you won’t be asked to pay it back.
The grant is open to registered nurses and midwives as well as Health care support workers, nursing associates and nursing apprentices.
Staff do not have to work for NHS or Council services and not not need to be an RCN member.
Whether you’re retired, unemployed or in work, the RCN Benevolent fund can provide support.
The grant is not an emergency fund if you require money straight away as they take several weeks to assess and pay. There is a guide at the bottom of the page should you require financial assistance more quickly.
More information on the Resilience Resource
This website was designed with Care Home staff specifically for Care Home staff.
The website aims to support those who work in Care Homes, reminding them how important they are and how vital their role is by providing skills for wellbeing.
The site does this by providing tools and techniques to help you understand and build resilience to stressful and/or changing times and thus enhance your wellbeing.
There are sections for:
- Understanding Resilience
- SOS
- Maintenance
More information on the Samaritans
The Samaritans is staffed by volunteers who are all highly trained and able to listen to you and help you talk through your concerns, worries and troubles.
The website offers a range of resources and information for whether you are struggling to cope or know someone who is.
It also has dedicated sections for people in different places in life, for instance, at school, in the workplace, in prisons, the military and health care.
The website offers details of how you can get in contact with the Samaritans including by phone, email, letter and in-person.
The website also provides a link to the Samaritans app.
More information on Suicide Prevention Scotland
Suicide is a topic that can make many of us uncomfortable or distressed.
We may worry about talking to someone about it, even feel it is impossible to talk about or not even think about talking to someone about it.
Suicide Prevention Scotland wants to make it easier for people to talk about suicide as they believe talking about suicide can help save lives.
If you are feeling suicidial or worried about someone you think might be suicidial the website has information, advice and contact details for help.
Aspects of the website include:
- I Need help now
- I’m having thoughts of suicide
- I’m worried about somone else
- I’ve been bereaved by suicide
- Talking to someone about suicide
Wellbeing Planning Tool
NHS Education for Scotland has developed a Wellbeing Tool which provides advice to help you identify your personal warning signs and actively manage your wellbeing.
Below is a video to help you use the tool to create your own unique wellbeing plan.
Page updated July 2025 HS
