Employee Assistance Program - Sydney South West Area Health ...

Policy Directive
Employee Assistance Program
Document No:
Functional Sub-Group:
Summary:
SSW_PD2007_078
Clinical Governance
Corporate Governance
The Sydney South West Area Health Service (SSWAHS)
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free,
confidential, professional counselling and consultation
service for all staff and their families.
The service is available for any personal or work related
issues and is available on an individual and group basis.
EAP counsellors also consult with managers and staff to
meet their obligations under relevant legislation to ensure
the health, safety and welfare of all employees in an
equitable work environment.
Approved by:
Director Corporate Services
Publication (Issue) Date: October 2007
Next Review Date: October 2010
Replaces Existing Policy: Yes (GB&M: 4.6.2, dated July 2006)
Previous Review Dates: July 2006
Note:
Sydney South West Area Health Service (SSWAHS) was established on 1 January 2005 with
the amalgamation of the former Central Sydney Area Health Service (CSAHS) and the former
South Western Sydney Area Health Service (SWSAHS).
In the interim period between 1 January 2005 and the release of single Area-wide SSWAHS
policies (dated after 1 January 2005), the former CSAHS and SWSAHS policies were
applicable as follows:-
• SSWAHS Eastern Zone : CSAHS
• SSWAHS Western Zone: SWSAHS
Compliance with this policy directive is mandatory Page 1 of 5

Sydney South West Area Health Service
Policy No: SSW_PD2007_078
Date Issued: October 2007
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Who Can Use the EAP?
3. Who Provides the EAP Services?
4. What Services does the EAP Provide?
5. Where are the EAP Services Provided?
6. When are the EAP Services Provided?
7. EAP Post Incident Support after Work Related Traumatic Incidents
8. How to Access EAP
9. References
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Sydney South West Area Health Service
Policy No: SSW_PD2007_078
Date Issued: October 2007
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)
1. Introduction
The Sydney South West Area Health Service (SSWAHS) Employee Assistance
Program (EAP) is a free, confidential, professional counselling and consultation service
for all staff and their families. The aim of the EAP is to assist all staff with any personal
and workplace problems, recognising that the quality of working life is influenced by
factors both at work, and outside the workplace.
The service is available for any personal or work related issues and is available on an
individual and group basis. EAP counsellors also consult with managers and staff to
meet their obligations under relevant legislation to ensure the health, safety and welfare
of all employees in an equitable work environment.
The service is based in office hours with a special after hours On Call service, for
assistance after work related traumatic incidents. The EAP is provided in line with:
Employee Assistance Programs: NSW Health Policy and Better Practice”
(PD2005_568).
All contact with the EAP is treated in the strictest confidence. No information about
such assistance will be disclosed to any person without the EAP client's explicit
consent. If, for whatever reason, any EAP records are relevant to a court case a Party
to the case can seek a court order (such as a subpoena) to obtain copies of those
records. A court order would usually override the staff member’s rights to privacy and
confidentiality. In this situation, EAP staff will make every effort to contact the affected
person(s).
2. Who Can Use the EAP?
The EAP services are available free of charge for all SSWAHS staff including:
permanent, casual and contracted staff; students; visiting medical and dental officers;
and their families.
3. Who Provides the EAP Services?
The EAP services are provided by an internal, multidisciplinary team of Staff
Counsellors (SSWAHS EAP team). As a team, EAP Staff Counsellors’ professional
qualifications include Social Work, Psychology, and a range of Nursing specialties, with
broad counselling experience in the management of both personal and work related
problems.
The EAP Staff Counsellors utilise clinical and organisational strategies that are
effective in crisis intervention and short term counselling. EAP Counselling is practical,
supportive and solution focussed.
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Sydney South West Area Health Service
Policy No: SSW_PD2007_078
Date Issued: October 2007
4. What Services does the EAP Provide?
EAP offers professional counselling for personal and work related difficulties, including:
• Acute, cumulative or traumatic incident stress • Relationship problems • Harassment,
bullying, discrimination • Alcohol and drug problems • Gambling • Personal or
professional grief • Care for children, elders and other dependants • Conflict at work •
Anxiety or depression • Financial or legal concerns.
Although individual counselling is a primary service, EAP provides a range of other
services, including:
• couple counselling • manager support and coaching • group support and counselling
sessions after traumatic incidents • change and transition management with groups
and individuals • conflict resolution • cumulative stress management • special training
programs in – post incident support; cumulative stress management; conflict resolution;
grief and loss, and strength based management • consultation regarding any issues
affecting staff welfare and wellbeing.
5. Where are the EAP Services Provided?
The SSWAHS EAP team provides services from permanent on site offices at most
SSWAHS hospitals, and can provide on site sessions at other centres. The main
contact numbers are:
Bankstown 9722 8230 Liverpool 9828 4552
Campbelltown 4634 3591 RPA & Eastern 9515 9688
Zone
Concord 9767 7053 EAP Manager 9515 9680
6. When are the EAP Services Available?
There are 2 streams of EAP services. The primary Counselling & Consultation
services are provided 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The On Call Post Incident support service is
available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for assistance, see Section 6 for details.
Where staff choose to use the EAP during their work time (not meal breaks etc - actual
working hours), the manager of the work area is entitled to know that you are seeing
the EAP Counsellor, but not the details of your contact. Most people use the EAP in
their own time for complete privacy.
7. EAP Post Incident Support after Work Related Traumatic Incidents
SSWAHS EAP Services are offered to staff involved in traumatic incidents in the
workplace and traumatic or disaster situations. A traumatic incident is defined as “An
unplanned event resulting in, or with the potential to result in, death, injury, ill health,
damage or other loss”, and includes: assaults; body fluid exposures; unexpected
deaths, or serious injuries. This service assists SSWAHS comply with NSW Health
Policy PD2005_234 “Effective Incident Response: A Framework for Prevention and
Management in the Health Workplace”.
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Sydney South West Area Health Service
Policy No: SSW_PD2007_078
Date Issued: October 2007
The Post Incident support service can be accessed via RPA Hospital switchboard 9515
6111(Eastern Zone & Bankstown), or the Liverpool Hospital switchboard 9828 3000
(Western Zone), and asking for the “On Call EAP Staff Counsellor”. Managers of the
area(s) involved can activate the service, or affected staff can make contact directly.
8. How to Access the EAP?
Any SSWAHS staff member, or family member, can contact the EAP in the following
ways:
Self Referral – to make an appointment, telephone the EAP Staff Counsellors directly,
refer to local information or see section 5 of this policy.
Supervisor and Union Support – supervisors / managers or union representatives
should, where appropriate, make reference to the availability of EAP services when
they are talking to an employee about problems with work performance, or in the
course of any discussion about their health and wellbeing. All utilization of the EAP
is voluntary, so staff can decline the referral.
Post Incident Support – This special EAP service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days
per week, and can be activated by the manager of the relevant area, or by affected
staff directly. (See section 7 of this policy).
Manager Consultation – All managers, supervisors or other staff can contact EAP to
discuss any concerns about staff welfare and wellbeing. This may range from
discussing how to refer a staff member for counselling, through to working on strategies
for the overall morale of a unit. EAP Counsellors consult on a wide range of other
issues including: change and transition; cumulative stress management; conflict
resolution and team development.
9. References
The SSWAHS EAP complies with the NSW Health Policy Directive – “Employee
Assistance Programs: NSW Health Policy and Best Practice” PD2005_568. Refer to
this policy for a full list of related policies and legislation. Further information is
available on the SSWAHS Intranet:
Hospitals & Facilities/Area Services/Employee Assistance Program
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