Parliament EAP provides early warning system

Parliament EAP provides early warning system

The number of calls made to a 24/7 helpline, known by Parliament staff as the ‘harassment hotline’, have increased by 10% during the pandemic period.

The hotline has been available since 2014 as part of the EAP. Between 2019 and 2020 there were around 973 calls to the hotline, the great majority from House of Commons staff and a smaller number from the staff of MPs. In the most recent year this has risen to 1,073 calls. The actual figures are believed to be higher as the official figures do not include calls from other types of Parliament staff, including those involved with the House of Lords or MPs themselves.

Mental health signals

Rather than cases of harassment or conflict in particular, around half of calls have been from staff with worries about their mental health. A quarter were to do with legal queries.

Jenny Symmons, chairwoman of GMB’s branch for MPs’ staff, said: “Parliament has made huge headway in supporting MPs’ staff pastorally. As more effort has been made to publicise the EAP during the pandemic, more staff have made use of it. However, services offering mental health support are only treating the symptoms of cultural issues in Parliament – not the cause.”

Treating causes

“In a pressured, rough and tumble environment like the Houses of Parliament, access to mental wellbeing services is hugely important,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell.

“Yes the role of an EAP in this context is in treating symptoms – making sure people get immediate advice and help early on in situations. But it’s also only this kind of evidence of usage, and types of usage, that provides the necessary evidence for HR to plan a targeted response. In turn it’s the EAP that highlights the problems that exist and what can be done: allowing for steps towards culture change based on recognised realities.”

Parliament EAP provides early warning system EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell