New consultation group to promote development of EAP in the UK

New consultation group to promote development of EAP in the UK

A new consultation group is being set up to promote the development of Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) in the UK.

The group is being made up of EAP providers, buyers, practitioners, related professional bodies, EAPA UK and the NHS. It is being set up after the latest branch meeting of UK EAPA in December 2019 which was the scene of wide-ranging discussion points as to how to promote EAP in this country, and how it should be developed for the future. The meeting was a collaborative exercise which had the aim of informing the direction of the UK EAPA board about the future of EAP strategy.

The well-attended meeting initially heard a presentation on the origins and history of EAPA International and how the UK EAPA chapter was formed. Since then, many market changes have taken place, and now here at EAPA UK we would like an increased presence and louder voice as the representative professional body for the industry, as well as increased consultation as the experts within the field of employee health and wellbeing.  Among the changes that the EAP industry has seen is an increasing number of stakeholders within the health and wellbeing market, and a wide variation of delivery models.

At the meeting, guests were divided into two groups and asked to consider several questions, with a view of helping EAPA UK’s strategy over the next one to three years. Suggestions that came out of the meeting were widely varied, and included trying to promote the EAP industry more in the UK by increasing benefits from membership of EAPA UK for both individuals and organisations. Asked what membership categories there should be within EAPA UK, it was suggested these could include EAP suppliers; a hybrid membership for those who don’t meet the current criteria: for example, cash plans and benefits organisations; clinical professionals, such as GPs, mental health nurses, community psychiatric nurses and counsellors; occupational health providers; services users; student members and providers of employee wellbeing services.

The question as to what an EAP actually is, and what it should be named, also came up, with the reaction in the room being that the term is very flexible and that a re-name might be in order.

The new consultation group is to work together to produce a paper to inform the future strategy of UK EAPA.