Provision of a Counselling & Psychotherapy Service for Council Employees

In recent years, Bury Council has experienced an increasing need to provide ‘fast track’ access to counselling and psychotherapy services in order to assist its employees in making a speedier recovery from various health conditions. Therefore the Council is seeking a suitably qualified organisation to undertake this role.

Absence due to stress, depression and other mental health conditions is one of the Council’s largest absence categories of which significant costs are associated. The provision of this service is specifically aimed at both preventing sickness absence and enabling employees to recover at a faster rate, thereby reducing absence costs. It is not a substitute for NHS treatment, but is used to provide a quicker and more responsive facility for employees with related symptoms before NHS treatments become available.

This service will also be offered to employees working within ‘Persona’, the Council’s new Local Authority Trading Company (LATCo) who provide Adult Social Care services, throughout the borough, on behalf of the Council.

One of the Council’s ambitions is to be the ‘Healthiest Borough in the North West’. With 73% of Bury employees being residents of the borough, the provision of this service supports that ambition and would also contribute to the wider agenda of health & wellbeing across the community. The contract period is for 1st April 2017 to 31st March 2019 with an option to extend the contract for up to a further 12 months.