A new service providing counselling, support and education to GPs, dentists and community pharmacists across the NHS has been launched in Bangor, North Wales. The Primary Care Support Service is an independent, direct access service led from the University of Wales, Bangor, with co-ordinators in each of the three Welsh regions.

The service will be supported by 100 professionals across Wales and has received funding from the Welsh Assembly Government. Dr Sue Ellison, who is leading the service, said: 'By being in the front line, GPs, dentists and pharmacists are often the first people to take on the consequences of change in the NHS. In the face of continuous external change, there are personal changes they can make that would enhance their quality of life.'

GPs, dentists and community pharmacists will have direct access to fully qualified counsellors, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists by telephone, with contact details being provided in three regional information guides that have been sent out to all primary healthcare professionals. The support element of the service will allow practitioners to contact colleagues by telephone in confidence for peer support, and will also have a service providing support for those under investigation of a complaint. In addition, the educational service will offer a range of sessions and courses that will focus on learning additional skills to help manage the many stresses practitioners are exposed to in a more positive way. This will be integrated with practitioners' own CPD programmes wherever possible.

'Our purpose is to provide a service which supports practitioners' development and which helps them manage their many pressures' continued Dr Ellison. 'We can all keep learning and positively growing.'