I am a medical director and consultant psychiatrist working in the NHS.

My Fellowship was about preventing doctor suicides, extending to preventing all healthcare worker suicides. The purpose of my Fellowship was to travel to the USA to study suicide prevention in doctors from experts who had done a lot of work in this area.

I became interested in the issue after close friends and colleagues died by suicide and the impact it had not only on bereaved families, but also colleagues, patients and the service. I realised how important it was to look after our staff if we are to continue to provide good patient care.

I am determined to make a difference and change for the better our culture in the NHS so that there is no longer any stigma, secrecy and shame associated with a doctor becoming mentally ill, that they should not delay seeking help, and should have no fear of referral to the regulators and complaints, and the impact that this can have. I thought how awful things must have become for a healthcare professional used to saving lives to feel they had no other option but to take their own life.

Since my return from Fellowship travels, I have been working at local and national level to support doctors, change policy and culture, and write my report.