Health Shield launches mental health app

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Health Shield launches mental health app

Health Shield has launched a mental health app, Thrive, aimed at helping people identify, prevent and self-manage common mental health conditions, using techniques including cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness. 

The app is an extension of the company’s Tailored Health Care Plan, which is personalised to  employers’ budgets and needs.

It can include a ‘virtual’ GP surgery, an employee assistance programme with a counselling and support helpline available 24/7, online health assessments, cancer screening and up to eight face-to-face counselling sessions.

Health Shield reported a high demand for mental health support, with an average of more than 500 ‘engagements’ with its employee assistance programme every week last year.

Over 12 months the service provided more than 5,500 advice and counselling calls and was used for more than 2,700 face-to-face counselling sessions. Anxiety was the most common reason to seek support, closely followed by depression, bereavement and work-related stress.

Courtney Marsh, commercial director and interim chief executive at Health Shield, said pressure is mounting on employers by government, charities and society at large, to provide improved mental health support to employees.

"There’s a huge amount said and written on this subject, but the reality – as we found ourselves through recent roundtables with HR professionals – is that the services currently provided by employers are largely disjointed, poorly communicated and not tailored to needs.”

Commenting on the app, Colin McCallum, adviser at Heritable Financial Planning in Edinburgh, said: “It sounds like this could be appealing for many employers. There are lots of days lost to mental health issues, so this could well be of value.”