An investigation by the BBC has brought to light serious accusations against Health Assured, a leading Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider. The report claims that corporate clients were allowed to listen in on confidential helpline calls without the callers’ knowledge or consent. Additionally, during recruitment days, prospective counsellors allegedly listened to live calls without informing the callers.
Health Assured’s CEO, Bertrand Stern-Gillet, refuted these allegations, labeling them as “categorically untrue” and “unfair.” He explained that recruitment days are restricted to pre-screened, qualified counsellors bound by strict confidentiality agreements. According to Stern-Gillet, any accidental listening incidents could only result from incorrect call routing, not intentional policy.
The allegations also include reports of non-clinical staff being used to handle calls during peak demand periods, a practice supposedly discontinued since 2022. There are also claims that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) were employed to prevent employees from speaking out about unfair treatment or discrimination, with some employees feeling pressured into signing NDAs while unwell.
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is investigating these claims, underscoring the importance of confidentiality in counselling. Health Assured asserts that they follow the highest ethical standards and continuously strive to improve their services
or a specific category with our 
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.