The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has suspended the counselling service accreditation of Health Assured, the largest provider of workplace mental health services in the UK. The move followed an investigation by the BBC, which indicated that the company had potentially breached the BACP’s ethical framework. An article in July by the broadcaster alleged that Health Assured had enabled eavesdropping on confidential calls via its helpline. The calls were said to have been monitored without knowledge of, or permission from, the callers.
Health Assured provides Employee Assistance Programme services (EAPs) to approximately 13 million workers in the UK and Ireland. EAPs aim to assist employees dealing with personal problems that may be affecting their performance or wellbeing at work. These services include short-term counselling and a helpline.
Despite the suspension, Health Assured’s participation in the BACP was unaffected, along with its ability to provide counselling. Its status as the only BACP-accredited EAP had been promoted by the company as a differentiator when selling its services.
The BACP confirmed that Health Assured is under investigation. In a statement, the industry body stated the importance of all counselling services and therapists “working to high professional standards”. The BACP will continue its investigation before considering the permanent withdrawal of Health Assured’s accreditation or imposing specific conditions.
In response, a Health Assured spokesperson said that the company had opened its doors to both the BACP and other industry bodies. It stated that it would “demonstrate our compliance with all industry standards”. He added that the company had taken further measures over recent months to meet and exceed expectations in this area
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
