Council’s CAREhub service transitions from ‘pilot’ project

The Medical Council’s independent counselling service, CAREhub, has been made permanent, the Medical Independent (MI) understands. However, medical students were not included as a distinct user group in the tender for a permanent service.

CAREhub was launched in late 2024 to support doctors, medical students, and individuals engaging with the Council’s regulatory processes, including registration, training, and complaints. The free service is operated by an independent provider.

Last month, a Council spokesperson told MI: “CAREhub was introduced as a pilot to assess demand, engagement, and suitability. Evaluation of how CAREhub was used during the pilot demonstrated that it was used appropriately and that there was clear evidence of benefit. On that basis, and in recognition of the importance of accessible wellbeing supports, the Medical Council decided to continue to retain CAREhub as a service, subject to ongoing review.”

“Given the confidential and anonymous nature of the service, reporting is necessarily high-level,” added the spokesperson. “In its first year of operation, the service recorded close to 200 engagements across a range of supports, including online resources, webinars, and individual counselling.”

Data on presenting issues is collected only in broad categories to protect user confidentiality. “As the service has been operational for one year, there is currently insufficient longitudinal data to identify trends or specific areas for improvement. Continued monitoring will inform future evaluation.”

In regard to medical students, the spokesperson said universities already provide established support programmes. As such, Council members agreed the new tender should focus on doctors and members of the public who are engaging with the Medical Council’s regulatory processes. “As a result, medical students are not identified as a distinct user group within the tender for the permanent service.”

Due to the anonymous design of the service, the Council “does not collect identifiable data on user subgroups and is therefore not in a position to report on medical student usage during the pilot phase”.

If a medical student was already engaged with the CAREhub pilot, the Council “would continue to offer that support in the interests of their wellbeing”.

The cost of providing CAREhub to service users for the first year was €10,665 excluding VAT. A provider has been selected following a competitive tender process and the Council was finalising the contract.