Mental health: how to ensure the right help, in the right place, at the right time

The new mental health navigator service brings complementary support and guidance for all employees of our Group Income Protection (GIP) policyholders and their families (over the age of 18). It will be fully integrated into our comprehensive mental health pathway, which may be tailored to individual employee and employer requirements and already includes: an Employee Assistance Programme; Psychology services; cancer recovery services; access to chronic fatigue and pain specialists (for support from physiotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy to specialist dietetics and psychotherapy); absence and return to work case management, including conflict resolution and mediation services.

Following successful roll-outs by Teladoc Health in Canada and Australia, Generali UK represents the first insurer to work with the global virtual care provider to bring the service to the UK. It is designed to identify the correct diagnosis and provide an action plan for those struggling with a range of mental health conditions from anxiety, stress or depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to many other mental health problems.

Colin Hawes, Head of Claims and Medical Underwriting at Generali Employee Benefits UK, comments: “This comes at a time in the UK when businesses are bombarded with a confusing array of mental health support services: at last count, around 3,000 self-care apps to name but one solution. And pressure is increasingly being placed on Line Managers and Mental Health First Aiders to identify potential problems and appropriately signpost to relevant and useful solutions. 

“It’s an incredibly complex landscape. And in order to know where to turn, employees need to first be helped by mental health trained clinicians to understand the problem. Only then can they learn how to fix it. This is one of the ways in which the Teladoc Health service is strengthening our mental health care pathway.”

The mental health navigator service also helps improve integration of existing mental health support services. Acting as a first port of call, it ensures your people get access to the proper diagnosis from a mental health clinician. Only then is it possible to determine what support services are most appropriate.

It may also be used by those who simply want to gain a better understanding of an existing mental health condition or treatment programme. This is all carried out via face-to-face video conference at a time to suit.

Following a diagnosis, an action plan is designed for the individual, which will signpost to relevant services their employer provides - such as their EAP (i.e. where stress is a trigger point and debt management support and advice is required, for example) - and / or additional support from Teladoc Health. 

The service includes access to Psychiatrists and Psychologists, where appropriate. For example, where an individual is already going through treatment for a mental health condition and they want a second opinion, cases can be reviewed by clinicians, including Medical Director oversight. This includes a review of the individual’s medical records (with signed consent) and close liaison with their local GP.

Reasons for an employee to turn to Teladoc Health’s mental health navigator service:

• They may be struggling with anxiety, stress, depression, problems sleeping or other mental health issues.
• They are unsure about their current diagnosis provided by their treating doctor.
• They are following their treatment plan, taking their medication as recommended but are not seeing any improvements.
• They need help understanding their mental health condition.