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Here are the questions that people frequently ask about the EAP/Helpline/Wellbeing support service.
If your question is not answered here, contact your HR or OH department. Alternatively, please email the Helpline at helpline.wellness@vhg.co.uk
What does this service do?
This platform provides access to self-help information and advice to help you to manage your wellbeing and address all of life’s issues. Where delivered as a part of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or Helpline, we can offer you early access to support and enable you to manage personal and work-related issues swiftly that may otherwise affect your wellbeing, motivation, or productivity, both from a practical and emotional perspective.
Who is providing this service?
Your service is provided by Vita Health Group and is paid for by your employer. Vita Health Group is wholly independent of your and therefore offers you a confidential service.
Who is Vita Health Group?
Vita Health Group was founded in 1987 and is a provider of guidance, information and support to organisations, membership groups, insurers, and communities all over the UK, currently supporting over 2.5m people. Vita Health Group is a leading provider of EAP (practical and emotional support) as well as offering end to end Musculoskeletal and Mental Health treatment and prevention services.
What can this service do for me?
We can all benefit from good advice or support at some time in our lives, either for an existing issue or to enable us to plan ahead for the future. Vita Health Group advisors can help make your life easier, whether your issue is personal or work-related.
What type of support can I get?
You can use this online EAP/wellbeing hub to access general information, support, and guidance on a range of issues such as health and wellbeing, emotional/personal, work/career, legal and money worries. Where offered as a part of your service, you can also call the telephone Helpline in complete confidence, for both practical and emotional support.
The Helpline is there for you whenever you need. When you call the line, it will ask you to select number ‘1’ (For emotional support) or ‘2’ (For legal, consumer and financial information). The Helpline will be answered by a qualified advisor/Counsellor who will talk through your reasons for calling and offer information, advice, support and signposting.
When can I contact the Helpline?
The Helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, giving unlimited telephone access to immediate emotional support.
An extensive range of practical support for legal, consumer and financial issues is available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday.
Is there a limit on the number of times I can contact?
There is no limit on the number of times you can contact the helpline, however, if an alternative service would be more supportive of an individual’s needs, there may be times when we would recommend this as an alternative. We can provide up to 6 sessions of treatment each year where this is the appropriate treatment pathway for an individual.
How much will it cost me to use the Helpline?
The service is free of charge to you.
How confidential is the service?
We take your confidentiality very seriously. We follow the guidelines set out by both the EAPA (Employee Assistance Professionals Association) and BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) which states that confidentiality cannot be broken unless someone is at risk to themselves or others.
Who will know I have used it?
The service is entirely confidential and no information which could lead to your identification will be released to any external party unless:
Will any of my personal information be shared?
No personal information is passed onto anyone without your prior written consent.
When I phone what information will I be asked to provide?
The two essential key pieces of information that we need are:
We do require your personal details (name, date of birth, address and contact number) however this information is never shared with anyone unless there is any specific and immediate risk. We will also ask some demographic questions, such as your age, gender and how you heard about the service.
Do I have to use this service?
You can choose to use the service if and when you want to.
What information will be recorded about me?
Every time you contact this service a confidential record will be kept - similar to the way your GP maintains your medical records. These records are not disclosed outside of Vita Health Group unless you expressly wish it and give your written consent. You can be assured that anything discussed between you and your personal advisor will remain confidential.
Isn’t this service only for people with serious concerns?
This service is valuable to everyone with the aim being to enhance your wellbeing; no issue or query is too small or large. The service is there not only to provide support through life`s more difficult times, but also as a planning tool for the future. It provides easy access to help and support, enabling you to make informed decisions and tackle issues early - before they become complex or a crisis.
If I were to ask the service to act on my behalf with my organisation, would they do it?
No, the service is not there for this purpose. Our advisors will help you clarify your thoughts and explore the options available but will not act on your behalf. Vita Health Group advisors can direct you to the appropriate channels within your organisation. On medical issues, if you ask us to act on your behalf this will only be done with your written consent, and the approach would be via your GP/ primary carer.
What happens if I need treatment or advice outside the scope of the service?
Our advisors will do all they can to help you find further support. This may involve communicating with your GP or other healthcare professionals if you wish. In these situations, your Counsellor will have an open and honest discussion with you to enable you to make informed choices about the best support and treatment options available to you.
If I’m not sure whether the service can help me, what should I do?
Call the service – it’s the best way to find out. If the advisors can’t help, they will always do their best to signpost you to the most relevant resources available to you.
Will Vita Health Group be involved in work related disciplinary actions?
No. Your organisation has sole responsibility for disciplinary actions. The service can however provide you with the necessary emotional support. Talking a situation through can often help you see your options more clearly and resolve anxieties.
What role do line managers play in the service?
Where provided as a part of your EAP, your manager should be able to answer questions of a general nature about the service and will advise you to take advantage of it if they think you would benefit. Managers are encouraged to see the service as an important asset helping employees deal with issues and answering questions that lie beyond the scope of the manager's role.
How can managers find out more about the service?
The Support for Managers tab has a host of information specifically for Managers.
Hearing impaired users
British Telecom provides a Text Relay service that provides text to speech and speech to text. Call 18002 followed by their full phone number including the dialling code. If you have a TextNumber you can use this without dialling 18002 first. TextNumbers start with 03306 or 07777. Once connected you will hear an automated message to let you know that the other person has connected whilst you wait for the Relay Assistant to join. When the relay assistant joins, they will act as a relay between you and the client.
For users who are able to lip read, we are also able to use Microsoft Teams video meetings on request.
If I am not happy with the service provided by Vita Health Group what should I do?
Our aim is to provide the very best and most appropriate support to you when you need it and we hope you never have to make a complaint about the service but if you do this will be very straightforward.
If you aren’t happy with the service you receive, call the free phone number to give your feedback, or alternatively email experienceandfeedback@vhg.co.uk experienceandfeedback@vhg.co.uk.
We welcome feedback to help maintain the highest quality service. This will also provide us with the opportunity to ensure that you receive the advice and support needed. If you do not feel your complaint has been resolved satisfactorily, please contact your HR department.
Direct Access to Counselling Service for John Lewis Partnership Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the eligibility, clinical inclusion and exclusion criteria for this Short-Term Structured Counselling?
Eligibility:
This service is suitable for current, working Partners who are experiencing problems including the following:
This service won’t be suitable for you If you are currently experiencing issues relating to:
Or if you are currently:
Please be aware that additional factors may be taken into account to assess your suitability. In such cases, you will receive relevant signposting and guidance during the digital triage, which may prevent your referral from progressing, or this information will be communicated to you directly from Vita Health Group after the triage is completed.
2. What happens after you have completed the Digital Triage?
We will review your referral and if counselling is determined to be clinically suitable, we will contact you by telephone within one working day to schedule your first appointment.
Please note that some cases may require further clinical review. If you fall into this category, you will be contacted within two working days by email or telephone, and we will provide information to help you choose the best pathway forward.
3. How will Vita Health Group contact me?
Our team will reach out to you at the telephone number you provided during the triage, between 9 AM and 5 PM, Monday to Friday. Please ensure you are available to take the call.
If you are unable to answer, we will attempt to contact you up to three times over the course of seven days. If we do not receive a response, you will be discharged and notified via email.
If your case requires further review and we determine that counselling is not suitable for you, we will contact you by email and provide relevant signposting to appropriate support services outside of Vita Health Group and discharge you.
4. What will Short Term Structured Counselling offer?
If partners are deemed clinically suitable, up to six one-on-one sessions with a counsellor will be offered.
This is a confidential service, and we will not share your details with JLP if you access triage and counselling support.
Counselling can be provided over the phone or via secure video link, with appointments available within five working days. We also offer face-to-face sessions when appropriate, which require 10 working days to arrange for your first appointment.
All counselling is delivered in accordance with NICE guidelines. Our clinical team collaborates with Partners during the initial treatment appointment to establish therapeutic goals, and clinical outcome measures are taken at each session to monitor progress and ensure recovery before discharge.
VHG placed significant importance on ensuring that our treatment is as accessible as possible and so we offer a contracted translation service, enabling us to communicate in over 240 languages, including British Sign language (BSL) via video link.
5. What if you are not suitable for the Counselling services and do not meet criteria?
If you do not meet the criteria for the counselling available through self-referral, Vita Health Group will reach out to help you identify the best pathway forward and provide relevant signposting. You may need to speak to your primary care provider (GP) for guidance on accessing support.
You might also be eligible for a higher level of support through an occupational health referral. However, this is not guaranteed, and a more in-depth assessment will be required if you are referred to Vita Health Group’s Psychological Therapy Services to determine your suitability.
To access this, you can either:
or
6. What if Counselling is not what you are looking for at this time, but you still require support?
If you personally don’t feel counselling is going to be the right fit for you and do not wish to progress with triage, you can still access information and support in relation to your mental health from a number of reliable resources including:
If your health is affecting your work or you think that your work is affecting your health, you should speak to your people manager who can refer you to occupational health if required.
If you are concerned about your own or someone else’s drinking, you can access confidential advice and support around alcohol through Alcohol Change UK
Alcohol Change UK charity: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/
If you are concerned about your own or someone else's drug use, you can access confidential advice and support through Talk to Frank Honest information about drugs https://www.talktofrank.com/
Further information and support regarding alcohol and drug use is also available via the NHS:
Addiction support - NHS https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/
If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis and needs help fast, ring 999 to contact the emergency services or go to your nearest Emergency Department.
If it is not a medical emergency, but you still need urgent help:
Ring 111 for professional health advice 24/7 and 365 days a year and where to access appropriate health services
Samaritans offer 24/7 support Phone: 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258 in the UK to text with a trained crisis volunteer.
Introduction
Copyright notice
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Acceptable use
Registration and accounts
User IDs and passwords
User IDs and passwords
Cancellation and suspension of account
Your content: licence
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Breaches of these terms and conditions
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Our details
Data Protection Policy
Introduction
Vita Health Group (Vita Health Group Ltd, Right CoreCare Ltd, Crystal Palace Physio Group Ltd, including any other subsidiary companies or trading names) provides healthcare and wellbeing services to private customers, the NHS, employers, insurance companies and Occupational Health providers across the UK. The confidential data we collect and access must be used legally and in good faith, following the principles and guidance published in relevant legislation industry standards. To ensure this, this policy documents the principles and guidance we apply at all times.
Scope
This policy applies to the treatment of personal data for which Vita Health Group is the data processor or data controller and applies to all staff members, temporary staff members, associates, and sub-processors.
Personal data is defined as any data that can be used to identify a living individual. Anonymised or aggregated data is not regulated by the Data Protection Act (DPA) or General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), providing the anonymisation or aggregation has not been done in a reversible way. For clarity, Individuals can be identified by various means including their name and address, telephone number or Email address.
Confidential data must be treated with an enhanced level of diligence. For clarity, confidential data includes any data (or information) which is shared under a reasonable expectation of confidentiality, but specifically includes all Special Categories of Data as defined in the GDPR:
Purpose
This document states and explains how we comply with the principles of data protection, and acts as a statement of intent to which the company, employees or third parties must abide. This policy is published and distributed to staff, customers, customers or service users, and clients as required for informative purposes. This policy cannot, and does not aim to cover every possible use of data, but should be used for guidance where required.
Commitments
Vita Heath Group will:
Data Protection Principles
The data protection principles shall be used to guide all use of personal data:
Caldicott Principles
The Caldicott Principles are specifically focussed on the use of confidential healthcare data. These principles shall be considered, above and beyond those stated above when considering clinical data:
What Data we Collect
Vita Health Group collects and stores personal data on behalf of private customers, the NHS, employers, Occupational Health providers, or insurance companies who pay for our services, and website users who visit our webpages and resources. Generally, the data we collect may consist of (where required for treatment or the provision of services):
How we Use Personal Data
The data we collect is used for legitimate business purposes only. We never sell data any to third party and we aim to be fully transparent in its use. Data is used in the following ways:
For NHS patients
How the NHS and care services use your information
Vita Health Group is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public.
Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment.
The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:
This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.
Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed.
You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care.
To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters . On this web page you will:
You can also find out more about how patient information is used at:
https://www.hra.nhs.uk/information-about-patients/ (which covers health and care research); and
https://understandingpatientdata.org.uk/what-you-need-know (which covers how and why patient information is used, the safeguards and how decisions are made)
You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care does not include your data being shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes and data would only be used in this way with your specific agreement.
Marketing Communications
Where individuals have opted in to receive marketing communications, or communications about our products and services, data will be stored within our MailChimp account. The purpose is to send clients regular updates about the business, treatments, and health & wellbeing related news, as specified on the signup form. Other optional personal data (name, surname, DOB, sports/ activities, preferred appointment location, other detail) may be collected for email marketing purposes. Individuals can stop receiving these emails at any time by:
Who Has Access to Personal Data
Personal data collected as part of treatment may be accessed by clinical or administrative members of staff as required for the provision of services, or by clinical auditors who ensure the quality of service. This data may also be shared with other clinical professionals outside of Vita Health Group, where this is required for the provision of services, is required by law, or when required to safeguard the wellbeing of a patient or other person. Data may occasionally be accessed by selected service suppliers who provide technical support.
To see how personal data collected through our website is used, please see our Website Privacy Policy.
Where an individual has opted in to marketing communications, personal data will be stored on our MailChimp account. See Marketing Communications section.
How Long we Keep Personal Data
Personal data collected by a healthcare professional forms part of a medical record and we are legally required to maintain this data in line with the guidance of relevant healthcare governing bodies. In general terms, this means that data is stored for 8 years after a customers or service users last contact with a clinician, however there are exceptions for minors, or following the death of a patient. For more detail, see the Information Governance Alliance Records Management Code of Practice.
Other personal data collected through websites or other means will be kept only for the minimum amount of time required and then deleted.
What Happens if There is a Data Breach
Any data breach which may result in harm to an individual will be reported to the individual, to any relevant customer organisation, and if required to the Information Commissioner’s Office, within 72 hours of discovery.
Any individual who believes their data may have been used unlawfully should contact the data protection officer immediately using the details at the bottom of this policy.
How we Keep Personal Data Safe
Data Subjects Rights
Whilst data is collected on behalf of our private customers and business customers, all individuals have the following inalienable rights when it comes to their data:
Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling : If an automated decision is made about an individual, they may request that this decision is reviewed by a human being.
Roles and Responsibilities
The following roles have specific responsibilities for data protection. These are in addition to other responsibilities within the Information Governance Policy:
Data Protection Policies
The following policies and sub-policies are related to this policy:
Distribution and Training
Monitoring
Compliance with this policy will be monitored by the DPO as part of the Quality and Safety System, including through internal audit. Findings shall be reported directly to the SIRO, Caldecott Guardian, and if required to the Board of Directors.
Common Questions
Every effort will be made to ensure that customers or service users clearly understand how their data is used, and employees must seek advice if they are unsure – never guess or misrepresent facts to a patient. This policy answers most questions which a patient is likely to ask and customers or service users may be referred back to this document, however staff should be aware of the following details:
Making a Data Rights Request
General queries may be answered verbally by any member of staff once a person’s identity has been confirmed; however, the following apply:
Make a Complaint or Ask a Question
Whilst we make every effort to uphold the principles of data protection and the Caldicott Principles, occasionally we may make mistakes. If a client or customer wishes to ask a question direct them to contact:
1.Vita Health Group Data Protection Officer:
Data Protection,14 Woolhall Street, Bury St. Edmunds, IP33 1LA
Phone: 0333 222 0272
Email: Dataprotection@vhg.co.uk
ICO Registration Numbers: Z119839X and Z711109X.
Complaints about how a case has been handled may be escalated to:
2.The Information Commissioner’s Office:
The Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk
3.Or, to the employer or service provider who referred the client.
References
Cookie Policy
What Are Cookies
As is common practice with almost all professional websites this site uses cookies, which are tiny files that are downloaded to your computer, to improve your experience. This page describes what information they gather, how we use it and why we sometimes need to store these cookies. We will also share how you can prevent these cookies from being stored however this may downgrade or ‘break’ certain elements of the sites functionality.
For more general information on cookies see the Wikipedia article on HTTP Cookies.
How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for a variety of reasons detailed below. Unfortunately in most cases there are no industry standard options for disabling cookies without completely disabling the functionality and features they add to this site. It is recommended that you leave on all cookies if you are not sure whether you need them or not in case they are used to provide a service that you use.
Disabling Cookies
You can prevent the setting of cookies by adjusting the settings on your browser (see your browser Help for how to do this). Be aware that disabling cookies will affect the functionality of this and many other websites that you visit. Disabling cookies will usually result in also disabling certain functionality and features of the this site. Therefore it is recommended that you do not disable cookies.
The Cookies We Set
Forms related cookies
When you submit data to through a form such as those found on contact pages or comment forms cookies may be set to remember your user details for future correspondence.
Site preferences cookies
In order to provide you with a great experience on this site we provide the functionality to set your preferences for how this site runs when you use it. In order to remember your preferences we need to set cookies so that this information can be called whenever you interact with a page is affected by your preferences.
Third Party Cookies
In some special cases we also use cookies provided by trusted third parties. The following section details which third party cookies you might encounter through this site.
This site uses Google Analytics which is one of the most widespread and trusted analytics solution on the web for helping us to understand how you use the site and ways that we can improve your experience. These cookies may track things such as how long you spend on the site and the pages that you visit so we can continue to produce engaging content.
For more information on Google Analytics cookies, see the official Google Analytics page.
More Information
Hopefully that has clarified things for you and as was previously mentioned if there is something that you aren’t sure whether you need or not it’s usually safer to leave cookies enabled in case it does interact with one of the features you use on our site. This Cookies Policy was created with the help of the Cookies Policy Template Generator and the Terms and Conditions Template.
However if you are still looking for more information then you can contact us through one of our preferred contact methods:
By visiting this link: https://www.vitahealthgroup.co.uk/contact-us
1. Accessibility
If you require this policy in a different format, an alternative language, or you need any help reading this document, please get in touch with our governance department by emailing qualityandcompliance@vhg.co.uk
2. Introduction
As a leading healthcare provider for physical and mental health solutions in the United Kingdom, we at Vita Health Group Limited (VHG) are committed to safeguarding the privacy and fundamental rights of those who use our services.
We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Officer (ICO) under registration number Z119838X.
This Privacy Notice (this Notice) covers how Vita Health Group collect, use, disclose, transfer and store data when interacting with us when using our app. When engaging with us through use of our products and services, we will provide you with a more specified privacy notice related to that product or service.
This Privacy Notice will be reviewed and updated on a yearly basis, or earlier when significant changes to relevant legislation warrants it. It was last updated 22/04/2024
3. Identity of the data controller and scope of this notice.
Vita Health Group Limited consists of:
And including subsidiary companies or trading names.
For the purposes of Data Protection Legislation (including the Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and The Data Protection Act 2018) the parent company, Vita Health Group Limited acts as the data controller for all personal data processed by us.
We provide healthcare and wellbeing services to the NHS, occupational health providers, employers, insurance companies and other private customers.
This Privacy Notice serves as the basis to enable transparent communication between us and you, as data subjects. It sets out and explains how we collect, process and securely store any of your data submitted to us through use of our app as well as the rights you have over your data, with whom we may share your data with and how to contact us about your data we process should the need arise.
If you have any further questions about the scope of this notice, please contact the Data Protection Officer (DPO), whose details are listed in the relevant section below.
4. Collection, processing and retention of personal data
VHG do not collect personal data from our App directly.
VHG only collect anonymised data from of actions from the use of the App that include:
These details are taken at an organisation level and do not include any personalised data.
VHG only use this information for statistical information to help us improve the product offering.
5. Data protection officer (DPO) and contact
As VHG engage with the NHS and other public bodies on a regular basis to provide various services which involve the processing of personal data a Data Protection Officer (DPO) has been appointed. The DPO in in charge of addressing and managing data protection matters concerning your personal data within VHG. The DPO is embedded within VHG to ensure continued compliance with any relevant data protection legislation. If you wish to contact the DPO directly, please send an email to Informationgovernance@vhg.co.uk
Alternatively, The DPO is also available for contact at the following postal address:
Vita Health Group
Data Protection Officer
Suffolk House
14 Woolhall Street
Bury St. Edmunds
Suffolk
IP33 1LA
6. Complaints
If you wish to raise or discuss a complaint about how your personal data has been handled by us, please contact the Compliance Officer at Experienceandfeedback@vhg.co.uk who will be happy to assist you.
If you are in any way dissatisfied with the Compliance Officer’s response to any concern raised, under Article 77 of the GDPR you have the right to directly lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Officer (ICO). Under Article 80, you may also authorise certain third parties (such as legal representatives) to make such a complaint on your behalf.
This accessibility statement applies to Vita Wellbeing Hub located at https://www.my-eap.com
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.
This website is owned and run by Vita Health Group Ltd. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
On the website at https://abilitynet.org.uk has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. We are committed to ensuring that our website is accessible to all individuals, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. We strive to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, which define the standards for making web content more accessible.
We regularly change and update the content of the web site may mean that the site becomes non-compliant until the next review.
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille.
We welcome feedback and suggestions from our users. If you encounter any accessibility barriers while using our website or have any recommendations using the contact details below.
Email feedback@vhg.co.uk
Call: 0333 222 0710
Our principal place of business is at Vita Health Group, 14 Woolhall Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1LA. We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 30 days.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).
If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
We have a roadmap of development and will be continuously assessing their impact on Accessibility. In the meantime we will:
Shaw Trust Accessibility Services last tested this website on 08/01/2024 with keyboard users, screen readers and users with disabilities.A report will be made available after the final test and linked from this Statement
This statement was updated on 28/03/2024
This website was last re-tested on 28/03/2024