| A Working for an MP Guide | ||
| Help at Work | ||
| First Published | 20 May 2014 | w4mp |
| Last Updated | 20 May 2014 | w4mp |
| Last Reviewed | w4mp | |
| Revision notes: None | ||
Help at Work
Everyone working for an MP can now contact a confidential support service to help them deal with personal and professional problems on the telephone or through face to face counselling.
A one year pilot scheme offers support to all staff who work for Members of Parliament, including volunteers, interns, work-experience students and those who work for organisations who provide pooled research services within Parliament (PRU, PRS etc).
The scheme, called an Employee Assistance Programme in the jargon, is provided by Health Assured, an independent external organisation who work to a robust professional code of strict confidentiality and provide similar services to around 5,000 companies, ranging in size from 3 to 16,000 employees in the private, public and large corporate sectors.
The service is anonymous, and if you call you only have to say where you work: you do not have to give any personal details or information about which MP you work for.
The service is available 24 hours a day on 0800 030 5182. Your call will be answered by a qualified and experienced counsellor who will offer help and support in a professional, friendly and non-judgmental manner and will also let you know about additional support that may be helpful. Please note, the counsellors are not based on the Parliamentary Estate but work for Health Assured.
You can also use the online portal at www.healthassuredeap.co.uk where there are videos and medical fact sheets.
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