What is SUPPORT?

Adverse events are a part of surgery, and we know they have a profound impact on surgeons’ wellbeing, confidence, and ability to practise safely. Despite this, the profession has been slow to recognise the breadth and depth of this impact, and even slower to put in place the support surgeons need. 

SUrgeon Peer-led POst-incident Response Teams Improvement Collaborative (SUPPORT), is a unique project that helps hospitals and organisations put effective, peer-led support systems in place so that surgeons feel supported after adverse events, and patient care remains safe and sustainable. 

Through a series of in-person and online events, regular calls with a peer support group, and opportunities to hear guest speakers to share their knowledge and expertise, we aim to improve the support you receive after adverse events and help you integrate new approaches into your workplace. 

Read the SUPPORT1 Report

Watch our recent recruitment webinar.

This session will provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the collaborative works, the support and guidance your team will receive and the potential benefits for your trust or board.

Read The RCS England SUPPORT collaborative: where are we and what next? in the June 2025 edition of the Bulletin.

Aims of SUPPORT

Listen to Mr Kevin Turner, Clinical Lead for SUPPORT  introduce the SUPPORT project and its purpose.

Existing support systems for surgeons facing adverse events are often inconsistent or underused. However, improving support for surgeons is essential for staff wellbeing, retention, and patient safety.

Our collaborative supports sites to design, deliver, sustain, and evaluate peer-to-peer support systems, based on our supporting surgeons after adverse events good practice guidance.

Through the SUPPORT improvement collaborative, we aim to:

• improve support for surgeons following adverse events using peer-led support;
• strengthen organisational responses to adverse events;
• improve wellbeing across surgical teams;
• support safer, more sustainable patient care.

What are we doing?

From the first round of SUPPORT, we have:

• worked with sites to design and implement peer-to-peer support systems;
• tested practical approaches to supporting surgeons after adverse events;
• gathered learning on what helps and hinders implementation;
• published a national learning report capturing outcomes and lessons learned.

Read the SUPPORT1 Report

To build on the success of SUPPORT1 we are now recruiting for SUPPORT2.

Join SUPPORT

We are building on this learning in SUPPORT2 and working with sites who will design, deliver, sustain and evaluate a peer-to-peer support system to help surgeons after an adverse event.

Who can join?

• NHS trusts and health boards across the UK
• Surgical services seeking to strengthen support for surgeons after adverse events

How to register

Registration for the current round of SUPPORT2 is now closed. If you would like to be kept up to date about future rounds of SUPPORT, please submit an expression of interest by emailing supportimprovement@rcseng.ac.uk.

Why join?

By taking part in the SUPPORT improvement collaborative, you will receive structured support, expert guidance and opportunities to learn from peers across the UK.

• Continuous support and shared learning
  You will receive support over an 18-month period. We will begin by orientating your site to the recommended approaches and supporting you to integrate these into your organisation. You will then receive 12 months of ongoing support, focused on shared learning and collecting data to understand the impact of peer-led support systems.
• Expert guidance from diverse perspectives
  You will take part in a programme of online and in-person events, alongside peer group support calls. You will be supported by a multi-professional project team, including a consultant surgeon clinical lead, clinical psychologists and project managers. This expert group leads the SUPPORT improvement collaborative. We also invite guest speakers to national events to share expertise and insights on surgical wellbeing.
• Building local capacity and capability
  Each participating trust or health board will establish a core local team as part of the SUPPORT collaborative. These teams will share learning within their organisations, helping to build local capacity to better support surgeons after adverse events across the UK.
• Strengthening peer-to-peer support
  The SUPPORT collaborative builds on the Supporting surgeons after adverse events good practice guidance. It supports the exchange of experience, knowledge, and best practice between participating sites.
• Embedding best practice
  Through collaboration between RCS England and the wider surgical community, the initiative helps create a strong and sustainable network of support for surgeons after adverse events. Our aim is to ensure surgeon wellbeing remains a priority across organisations.

SUPPORT2 Timeline

• Recruitment and payment
  January 2025–May 2026
• Set-up and launch
  June 2026–September 2026
• Improvement Collaborative - live phase
  October 2026–November 2027
• Evaluation and reporting
  December 2027–May 2028

Testimonials

“This support mechanism was invaluable to me when I was having a very difficult time at work. I am certain that I would not have been back at work so soon had it not been for this support and would certainly not have been back operating. I am very grateful for its existence.” - Supported surgeon

“SUPPORT has been an energetic, universally positive mix of professionals, all with the same aim i.e. to look after each other/colleagues/themselves. It has been a most welcome change to culture within surgery. Each session has been meticulously planned and superbly executed.” - SUPPORT participant

“I really enjoyed the whole process... It’s a very well-structured programme, very well organised, involving the psychologist, the surgeons and bringing in their experience and people coming in to share their ideas, meeting and discussing. So it was very, very, very well structured. I really enjoyed the whole journey, and it made me more interested and more involved going forward.” - SUPPORT participant

Project team

• Mr Kevin Turner - Consultant Urological Surgeon and Visiting Professor
• Mr Arjun Nambiar - Consultant Urological Surgeon
• Dr Maddy Greville-Harris - Clinical Psychologist, Senior Lecturer
• Dr Olivia Donnelly - Consultant Clinical Psychologist
• Sheena MacSween - Programme Manager
• Mr Phil Copley - Innovation & Improvement Fellow 

Resources and further reading

• Read the SUPPORT1 Report
• Supporting surgeons after adverse events good practice guidance
• The RCS England SUPPORT collaborative: where are we and what next? in the June 2025 edition of the Bulletin.

Contact us

If you have any questions, email supportimprovement@rcseng.ac.uk.

For other Quality Improvement Collaborative opportunities, visit QI Collaboratives.