Introduction
EAP services are provided to you on behalf of VHI by HealthHero. The healthcare provider in Ireland is HealthHero Healthcare Ireland Ltd, registered Company No. 670586. The healthcare provider in the UK is HealthHero Solutions Ltd, registered Company No. 03766413
These Terms and Conditions should be read alongside our Privacy Policy.
The Privacy Policy contains important information on who we are and how and why we collect, store, use and share your personal information. It also explains your rights in relation to your personal information and how to contact us or supervisory authorities in the event you have a complaint.
Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully as it contains important information on the scope of the services we provide and how we deliver them. By using our services, you are deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree to these terms of use, please refrain from accessing or using our services.
Scope of Service
The Vhi Health Assistant App and your EAP support line are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
You can book with a qualified and accredited counsellor for a counselling assessment via the Vhi Health Assistant App or EAP support line.
The initial counselling assessment lasts for 30 minutes. Any subsequent treatment arising from this assessment will be arranged directly with the counsellor at the end of the assessment and these bookings will not be made through the Vhi Health Assistant App.
The bookings are for the counselling assessment only and do not include coaching or any of the other services available through the EAP. These can be accessed directly through the support line.
All counselling assessment appointments are delivered by telephone only.
Subsequent treatments, however, may be delivered by telephone, video or in-person, but will be arranged and delivered outside of the Vhi Health Assistant App.
You must not use this service for emergencies as this may delay necessary treatment
If you believe that there is risk of harm to yourself or others you should contact your local Emergency Services immediately by dialling 999 or 112, especially if you or someone else is in suicidal distress.
Access to Our Services
The following services are available to you:
- Counselling Helpline
- Structured Counselling
- Coaching
We also use partner organisations to provide the services below.
- Legal Information
- Financial/Debt Information
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is one of the cornerstones of the clinical work delivered by HealthHero. Any information that you reveal, either during your assessment with the HealthHero Telephone Counsellor, or, to the counsellor who delivers your telephone/video/face-to-face counselling is confidential to HealthHero and will not be fed back to your organisation or Vhi.
If the EAP service is provided through your employer, they may receive statistical data about the overall usage of the service. This data is anonymous, and there is no way in which you could be identified through this feedback.
In some circumstances, a counsellor may suggest that it is in your best interests to provide information to a third party, such as for example, informing your GP of emotional issues that are affecting you to make them aware that additional support via the GP may be appropriate. In these circumstances, you will be asked for your consent to release the information and no information will be disclosed without your permission.
Your counsellor will complete clinical notes after each session. These notes contain a summary of the issues discussed and the work that has been conducted during the counselling session. The notes are stored on your HealthHero file, along with a record of your assessment, and any other interactions you may have had with the service. HealthHero’s clinicians may review your file as part of our duty of care to you as the service user and to ensure that we provide the best possible service. Please note that these written records are subject to the same confidentiality rules and legal obligations that govern all HealthHero’s counselling work. HealthHero will not release these records without your consent, unless under certain circumstances where we are legally obliged to act.
Circumstances in which confidentiality may be broken are if you disclose information that leads the counsellor to believe that you, another person, or your organisation may be at serious risk. In these circumstances information may be disclosed to a third party, such as the emergency services, to prevent imminent harm. In some circumstances there may also be a legal obligation to disclose information to relevant authorities, such as in situations concerning child protection, terrorism, or drug trafficking. If such a situation does arise, the information disclosed will be confined to what is strictly necessary and, wherever possible, you will be consulted before the disclosure is made.
Under the Children First Act 2015, HealthHero’s counsellors are required to report any knowledge, belief, or reasonable suspicion that a child has been harmed, is being harmed, or is at risk of being harmed, to Tusla.
HealthHero’s confidentiality policy is in line with the Irish Association for Counselling and Physiotherapy (IACP)Code of Ethics and Practice for Counsellors / Psychotherapists, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Guidelines for Ethical Practice, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), The Data Protection Act 2018 (Ireland) and The Data Protection Act 2018 (UK).
About HealthHero Counselling Services
The counsellors used by HealthHero are highly qualified, experienced, and have been accredited to an appropriate body e.g. IACP, BACP or United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
Counselling is not about giving advice. Your counsellor will help you to explore and achieve a better understanding of the difficulties that you are facing, thereby empowering you to move forward. It is important to understand that the scheme provided through HealthHero offers short-term general counselling. To get the most from this time-limited service, it is best to focus on a specific realistic goal, and for this reason the focus for your structured counselling sessions will have been explored and agreed during your initial assessment.
Following a counselling assessment HealthHero can offer a range of different delivery methods for structured counselling, and counselling is usually delivered by video call or telephone but can be in person also. The delivery method for your sessions will have been discussed with you during your assessment.
Preparing for your consultation
At the time of your consultation, you must ensure you are somewhere private and are able to talk freely. HealthHero will not engage in calls with service users while they are driving. If our staff are made aware during a call that the service user is currently driving, they will end the call and arrange a callback at another date/time.
General Terms of Service
Booking an Appointment
Calls with a counsellor can be booked via the helpline or via the Vhi Health Assistant App. Appointments made by telephone will be confirmed at the time of your call and if you use the Vhi Health Assistant App a confirmation will be sent electronically.
Online Services
The availability of our online services cannot be guaranteed as mobile data and internet connections are controlled by third parties with whom HealthHero has no direct relationship or contract.
If the content of any electronic communication you send to us is inappropriate and/or abusive we will take whatever action is appropriate, including reporting the incident to Vhi Health and Wellbeing DAC, who provides you with access to our services through the Vhi Health Assistant App and if required to do so by law, to the relevant law enforcement authorities. We do not tolerate any abuse of our staff in any form.
Video Consultations
Video Consultations are not currently included for counselling assessment appointments. All of these are delivered by telephone.
Telephone Services
You can book a counselling assessment appointment either by calling the service through your support line or by making a digital booking through the Vhi Health Assistant App, if you are eligible. The counselling assessment call will be delivered by telephone. Subsequent counselling treatment sessions will be offered by telephone, video or in-person.
Your Responsibilities
HealthHero does not have access to your full medical records and therefore any advice or treatment options given are based on information you provide during your contact with our EAP services.
It is your responsibility to ensure that any information you provide is honest, accurate and lawful. If you choose to withhold relevant information from the HealthHero team, it could affect care they are able to give and they may not be able to provide additional services to you.
HealthHero and affiliate clinicians cannot be held responsible should the information you provide be inaccurate or incomplete.
We are not responsible for your routine or ongoing care, so it is in your best interests that if the clinician asks for permission to share information regarding the consultation with your own GP, that you agree. Should you not give us consent to do so, please be aware that the clinician may feel that it is not safe to proceed with any treatment or referral options discussed.
The HealthHero team treats our services users with respect and care for their wellbeing and likewise, we expect our staff and affiliate clinicians to be treated in the same manner by service users. HealthHero reserves the right to restrict services to individuals following misuse of the service.
HealthHero understands our service users may be going through a difficult time when using our services and, as such, restriction of access to services is always a last resort and a warning shall be given to the service user. If necessary, HealthHero may contact your organisation to resolve instances of misuse.
Misuse of services may include but is not limited to where:
- you are in breach of these Terms.
- you abuse or harass our staff or affiliates.
- your use of the services is excessive.
- you use the Services in a manner that would cause a real risk of harm or loss to us, yourself or others.
- you create risk or possible legal exposure for us.
Feedback
It is important to us to know how you have experienced our service as HealthHero constantly strives to improve and develop the service provided and feedback, both positive and negative, is integral to this process.
Following access to our services you may receive a short feedback survey via email/SMS, which we would be grateful if you can complete.
Concerns and Complaints
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction either written or verbal that requires a response, which can be made by letter, by email or by telephone.
If you have any concerns about your counselling sessions, try to discuss these with your counsellor. If this does not resolve the issue, or if you do not feel comfortable raising your concerns with your counsellor, you can call the helpline or email the Clinical Compliance Team at feedback.eap@healthhero.com. We will liaise with your counsellor and any HealthHero staff involved in your case, and endeavour to respond to your complaint as quickly as possible.
We will endeavour to acknowledge your complaint or concern as soon as it is received. We hope to be able to resolve it to your satisfaction within three working days of receipt, but if we are unable to do so, we will formally respond to you and follow our complaints procedure.
The HealthHero Complaints Procedure can be accessed here: https://www.healthhero.com/complaints-procedure
You can also contact us by writing to HealthHero as follows;
Mental Health Services Team
HealthHero Healthcare Ireland
2 Dublin Landings
North Wall Quay
Dublin 1
D01 V4A3
Clinical Opinion Requests
It is HealthHero’s policy not to provide clinical opinion pieces and any such requests shall be denied. We can offer evidence of access to our services or copies of your data including case notes on request. Please see the privacy policy for more detail.
Limitation on Liability
Nothing herein excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation or for any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law. Nothing herein shall affect your statutory rights.
Except as may be expressly set out in these terms, all conditions, representations and warranties relating to the service are excluded to the maximum extent permitted by law.
We shall not be liable for any defects or errors in the services, nor interruptions in or unavailability of the services, nor any breach of any obligations due to a cause beyond our reasonable control.
Except to the extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for
- any loss, damage or distress arising from reliance on information or reliance on availability of the services; or
- any indirect, consequential or economic loss, damage or distress (including any such loss, damage or distress arising from unauthorised use of or damage to your data or content), incurred by you as a result of using our services.
Our total liability to you in connection with the services whether under contract, tort, statute, common law or otherwise (and including for negligence or wilful default) shall not in any circumstances exceed £500,000 or equivalent in local currency.
Applicable Law
For the avoidance of doubt, the provision of our services from Ireland shall be governed by and construed in accordance with, the laws of Ireland and each of the Parties submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish courts.
Correct as of 20th June 2024 and subject to change.