Buckinghamshire County Council has launched an employee assistance programme (EAP) for its 14,500 employees.

The confidential service provides employees and their dependants access to advice on debt, childcare and relationships.

The EAP is free for employees to use and will be integrated with the organisation's existing healthcare benefits. Employees can also be referred to other occupational health services where this is appropriate.

They are able to access the service over the phone or by using digital platforms.

Vincent Welsh, senior HR officer at Buckinghamshire County Council, said: "There is research out there that says employees at any given time are dealing with issues of a personal nature or perhaps even work related [issues] that will affect their performance."