As part of a change to the Occupational Health and Service’s Wellbeing's (OHWS) delivery model, we will be introducing a new way to receive psychological therapy interventions. This is to improve access to services whilst ensuring all services are offered in line with NICE guidance.

From early December, colleagues referred to our Occupational Health and Wellbeing Services who are identified as requiring counselling support, will be offered the new Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) called Health Hero.

Staff should continue to self-refer in the usual way, by contacting the department on 01925 664010 or alternatively, emailing OHWB@merseycare.nhs.uk.

What will the new offer look like?

  • Staff referrals for psychological support will continue to be made in the same way via 01925 664010 or OHWB@merseycare.nhs.uk. See Access to Staff Psychological and Mental Health Support for more information.
  • Requests will be triaged by our in-house team. Where counselling is identified as the most relevant treatment path, with consent, the triage will be shared securely with the EAP provider Health Hero, who will contact the individual within three working days to make an appointment which will be delivered within a further five working days.
  • Health Hero will complete the relevant course of treatment after which, with consent, they will provide a discharge summary to OHWS outlining interventions delivered and other relevant information. This will be saved in the individuals OHWS records.

What else can Health Hero support me with?

  • ‘In-the-moment’ advice to staff outside of the usual OHWB opening hours. This includes signposting to urgent care where needed but excludes direct therapeutic interventions which are only available via the in-house triage process.
  • 24/7 access to legal and debt advice via a dedicated helpline
  • Access to a health and well-being portal which includes information on a variety of physical and mental health matters as well as access to self-directed computer based CBT.

Creating an account with Health Hero

Creating an account with Health Hero so that you can access the portal is quick and easy. Follow the simple steps in the guide linked below:

How to create your Health Hero account