Staff Counselling Services and Occupational Health Referrals (2016/17 and 2017/18)

The request was successful.

Dear Imperial College London,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would be grateful if you could provide the following information relating to Counselling and Mental Health services and Occupational Health referrals in respect of those employed by your University. You will find that I have issued FOI request of your institution in respect of previous years, for which I am grateful for your response. The current FOI constitutes a follow-up.

QUESTION ONE: COUNSELLING AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
The total number of staff that accessed University counselling and mental health services in 2016/17 and 2017/18. Please present in a table showing figures separately for each academic year (e.g. 2016/17, 2017/18) or by each calendar year, where data is collected in this way - according to the following categories:-

a) How many were academic staff?
b) How many were professional services staff?
c) How many were male?*
d) How many were female?*

*Please note that some institutions now collect non-binary gender information. Where your institution collects information in this way, please provide in that format. Where data relating to gender is not collected, please simply highlight “n/a”.

Where you, or an external provider (e.g. EAP/EAFP), also breaks down this information by category (e.g. anxiety, bereavement/loss, work-related etc.), please also provide a separate table with this information.

QUESTION TWO: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
During the last two full academic years (please present in a table showing figures for each academic year i.e. 2016/17 and 2017/18) or by each calendar year as appropriate, how many staff members were referred to Occupational Health (please highlight by year, whether these were self-referrals, management referrals, or referrals falling into different categories)?

Where the information is available (i.e. either collected by you or held for you by an EAP/EAFP), please separate into the following categories (for each year):-

a) How many were academic staff?
b) How many were professional services staff?
c) How many were male? *
d) How many were female?*

*Please note that some institutions now collect non-binary gender information. Where your institution collects information in this way, please provide in that format. Where data relating to gender is not collected, please simply highlight “n/a”.

QUESTION THREE: EAP/EAFP PROVIDER CHANGES
Please also indicate whether you have changed EAP/EAFP since 2015 and if so, in what year. If you are able to provide a link to the provider in question, or forward the EAP/EAFP reports from 2016/17 and/or 2017/18 so that I can see the reporting methodology that would be helpful.

FURTHER NOTES FOR CLARIFICATION
- If the decision is made to withhold some of this data using exemptions in the Data Protection Act, please inform me of that fact and cite the exemptions used.
- If you need any clarification then please do not hesitate to contact me. If some parts of this request are easier to answer than others, I would ask that you release the available data as soon as possible.
- Where some parts of the information requested cannot be presented in the format requested above, or has not been collected by the University (or where applicable, an external provider collecting and holding this information for the University), in a way that satisfies the FOI request, please exercise your duty under section 16 and highlight what information you are able to provide.
- Please note that this information is being collected as part of a follow-up pan-HEUK study of trends in Counselling Services and Occupational Health in respect of HEI staff.

I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request, and I look forward to hearing from you within the 20 working day statutory time period. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Yours faithfully,

Nicky Michaels

IMPFOI, Imperial College London

Dear Nicky Michaels,

This is to acknowledge receipt of your request below, made under the Freedom of Information Act. The College aims to respond to your request within twenty working days of receipt of your request.

We will contact you again in due course.

Kind regards,

Freedom of Information Team
Imperial College London

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IMPFOI, Imperial College London

1 Attachment

Dear Nicky Michaels

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find below the College's response to your questions.

"QUESTION ONE: COUNSELLING AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES The total number of staff that accessed University counselling and mental health services in 2016/17 and 2017/18. Please present in a table showing figures separately for each academic year (e.g. 2016/17, 2017/18) or by each calendar year, where data is collected in this way - according to the following categories:-

a) How many were academic staff?
b) How many were professional services staff?
c) How many were male?*
d) How many were female?*

*Please note that some institutions now collect non-binary gender information. Where your institution collects information in this way, please provide in that format. Where data relating to gender is not collected, please simply highlight “n/a”.

Where you, or an external provider (e.g. EAP/EAFP), also breaks down this information by category (e.g. anxiety, bereavement/loss, work-related etc.), please also provide a separate table with this information."

Please see Table 1 on the attached spreadsheet, showing the number of contacts to the College's Employee Assistance Provider (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/health-and-we...) broken down by reason. Please note that some people may choose to discuss more than one issue. Total figures are shown below.

In 2017 a total of 111 staff accessed the service
In 2018 a total of 117 staff accessed the service

Figures of five or fewer, including zero, have been replaced by an asterisk. This is because, due to the small numbers involved, individuals may otherwise be identifiable from the data provided. This information is therefore exempt from disclosure under Section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which states that "any information to which a request for information relates is also exempt information if - (a) it constitutes personal data."

Please note that as the external service is confidential, the College does not know the gender nor category of staff.

" QUESTION TWO: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
During the last two full academic years (please present in a table showing figures for each academic year i.e. 2016/17 and 2017/18) or by each calendar year as appropriate, how many staff members were referred to Occupational Health (please highlight by year, whether these were self-referrals, management referrals, or referrals falling into different categories)?

Where the information is available (i.e. either collected by you or held for you by an EAP/EAFP), please separate into the following categories (for each year):-

a) How many were academic staff?
b) How many were professional services staff?
c) How many were male? *
d) How many were female?*

*Please note that some institutions now collect non-binary gender information. Where your institution collects information in this way, please provide in that format. Where data relating to gender is not collected, please simply highlight “n/a”."

Please see Table 2 on the attached spreadsheet, showing the number and type of referrals to the College's Occupational Health Service (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/occupational-...)

Please note that the Service does not record grade data and therefore cannot provide figures of academic or professional services staff accessing the Service.

"QUESTION THREE: EAP/EAFP PROVIDER CHANGES Please also indicate whether you have changed EAP/EAFP since 2015 and if so, in what year. If you are able to provide a link to the provider in question, or forward the EAP/EAFP reports from 2016/17 and/or 2017/18 so that I can see the reporting methodology that would be helpful. "

The College has not changed EAP since 2015.

If you are unhappy with the way that we have handled your request, you can ask us to conduct a review. Please make your representation in writing within 40 days of the date you received this response. If you remain dissatisfied with how Imperial College has handled your request you may then approach the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Kind regards

Freedom of Information Team
Imperial College London

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