Each year, World Mental Health Day invites us to pause and reflect on the realities of mental wellbeing, both our own and the people around us. This year’s theme, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change,” set by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), highlights the power of personal stories in shaping understanding, reducing stigma and creating meaningful change.
Today, we are grateful to Angus Pringle, Cohort 10 Clinical Entrepreneur, for bravely sharing his lived experience, and for all he does to advocate for mental health within the healthcare community.
Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Angus Pringle, and I’m a Consultant Orthodontist, but it’s my purpose that matters most to me: to humanise healthcare workers so they can thrive, not just survive. I’m also the co‑founder of The Canmore Trust App, a digital safe space designed to support the mental wellbeing of NHS staff by offering confidential, compassionate signposting to appropriate support whenever they feel overwhelmed, distressed, or unsure where to turn.
Can you share an experience that impacted your mental wellbeing or perspective, and what it taught you?
I lost my brother Andy to suicide. It was devastating. It was the kind of loss that changes how you see everything afterwards, including how I think about mental health, both my own and other people’s.
I’ll be honest, at first, I was completely lost and overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to process it. However, I was fortunate enough to have the support of my GP and a psychotherapist, who helped me navigate the complex reactions that followed.
Living through that loss taught me that I am human, just like our patients, and that I deserve the same care, connection and compassion that we offer to others. It helped me recognise that I can’t solve everything on my own, and that reaching out for help was pivotal in my recovery.
I also learned to understand aspects of my life that were harming my mental health, and to make choices that actively support it. That shift, acknowledging what wasn’t serving me and choosing what does, has been fundamental in how I move forward.
If someone was in a similar situation and feeling overwhelmed, what would you want them to know?
It’s okay to be human and to reach out for help, just like our patients do. Healthcare workers are so used to caring for others that we often forget we’re allowed to receive care too. Reaching out isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength.
In my darkest moment, someone said to me: “You might feel better tomorrow.” I’ve never forgotten that. It gave me a glimmer of hope, just enough to make it to the next day, and sometimes that’s all you need.
Would you like to share how your current work supports mental health awareness?
I’m actively involved in social media to help humanise healthcare workers and open up conversations around mental health.
I advocate for The Baton of Hope and The Canmore Trust, two suicide‑prevention charities that are deeply meaningful to me. I recently participated in The Canmore Trust conference for healthcare workers, where we explored wellbeing in caring professions and championed compassionate regulation.
I’m also a mental health first aider and trained in suicide prevention. Alongside this, I’m the co‑founder of The Canmore Trust App, which aims to create a digital safe space for healthcare workers. Developed in partnership with The Canmore Trust, it creates a psychologically safe environment where NHS staff can access guidance without fear of judgement, stigma or professional consequences. The platform will bring together carefully curated wellbeing resources, grounding tools, peer-support information, crisis signposting and direct links to validated NHS, charitable and local services.