Birdsgrove House, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's convalescent home, has announced that its first stress management weekend is to take place on October 16 and 17.
Through a mixture of group work, discussion and practical exercises in relaxing surroundings, the course will give pharmacists an opportunity to learn how to cope with one of the commonest health problems. Of an estimated 360 million working days lost annually in the United Kingdom, at least half are related to stress at work.
The course is limited to 12 persons. It will start on the Saturday afternoon and conclude on the Sunday afternoon. The cost is £125 per person, inclusive of board. For pharmacists wishing to extend their stay, accommodation is being made available on the Friday and/or Sunday nights at £25 per person per night.
Bookings can be arranged through Mrs Sue Smith, Administrator, Birdsgrove House, Mayfield, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 2BN (tel 01335 342144; fax 01335 347030).
Birdsgrove House is set in beautiful countryside on the border between Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Its extensive grounds run down to the banks of the River Dove, just a couple of miles downstream from the Dovedale beauty spot at the southern edge of the Peak District national park.
Stress weekends are the latest development in the use of Birdsgrove House for helping pharmacists with health problems. The house opened as a convalescent home for pharmacists and their close relatives in 1953 (after having been bought originally for storage of the Society's records during the 1939-45 war). Last year, part of the premises was converted into a unit for the treatment of pharmacists and other health professionals who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.
At the opening of the addiction unit (PJ, November 7, 1998, p741), the director of Birdsgrove House, Mr Rory O'Connor, announced that, once the addiction programme had been established, developments would be made to provide for other areas in which pharmacists needed help. Stress was chosen as the next area because it was so prevalent.
The stress weekends at Birdsgrove House will complement the Listening Friends Scheme, which offers free confidential help to pharmacists suffering from stress. Financed by the Society's Benevolent Fund, the scheme gives pharmacists an opportunity to talk about their problems in complete confidence with a fellow pharmacist who is trained in listening skills. Contact is made initially by telephoning the scheme's automatic answering service on 020 7820 3387.