Optima Health
EAP
See a comprehensive overview of the pros and cons of the Optima Health EAP service (formerly Care first).
Optima Health EAP overview
Optima Health describes itself as the UK's largest occupational health and wellbeing provider, covering roughly 15 percent of the UK workforce across 300+ public and private sector clients, with FY24 revenue of £110.9 million. It listed on AIM in September 2024 after demerging from Marlowe plc.
The EAP is an add-on to that occupational health machine, and it grew substantially in June 2025 when Optima bought Care first from Priory Group, inheriting 1,000+ EAP customers; Care first was rebranded as the Optima Health EAP Service on 1 February 2026. In 2026 Optima also agreed to acquire PAM Group for around £100 million, which would make it a very large consolidated player.
For buyers, the appeal is one-stop corporate health procurement. The open question is whether an OH-led business can run a responsive counselling service, and its 1.9 Trustpilot score, driven by occupational health complaints, is not reassuring on speed.
At a glance
Trustpilot rating:
1.9
/ 5
EAP type:
Add on service
Number of clients:
300+ clients
HQ:
UK
Services:
On-demand counselling
Next day sessions
Neurodivergence support
Integrations
Plan options:
Trial available
Flexible pricing options
No exit fees
Counselling on Optima Health
The EAP is accessed via a 24/7, 365-day telephone line offering in-the-moment support, with structured counselling across the UK delivered by video, telephone or in person when clinically required. The delivery engine and counsellor network are essentially the former Care first operation, whose standard was BACP-accredited telephone counsellors and typically up to 6 structured sessions per referral.
Optima does not publish a standard session count for the combined offer, so the included number is contract-dependent.
Because the EAP sits inside an occupational health business, referrals can connect to OH assessments, physiotherapy and mental health case management, which is useful for complex absence cases but adds process where a struggling employee may just need to talk to someone.
Other services on Optima Health
Integrations
No workplace tool integrations. The EAP is sold alongside a full corporate health stack: occupational health assessments, physiotherapy, health surveillance, digital flu vouchers and an SME self-service portal.
Confidentiality
Standard confidential counselling positioning with GDPR consent language. One July 2026 Trustpilot review alleges a subject access request unanswered since May, a caution flag on data-rights handling in the wider business.
Extras
Manager consultancy and a Manager Support hub, mediation, critical incident support and wellbeing webinars inherited from Care first, plus workplace health campaigns such as prostate awareness days.
Optima Health EAP reviews
See what others say about
Optima Health
Best reviews for Optima Health
Strong B2B account management
Five-star reviews from partner organisations and corporate clients praise clear communication, supportive account managers and well-organised on-site health programmes.
One-stop corporate health
Large employers value combining EAP, occupational health, screening and training under one AIM-listed supplier with national coverage.
Bad reviews for Optima Health
Rushed, box-ticking assessments
End users describe occupational health assessors as rushed and lacking empathy, with decisions that feel pre-made. That experience colours trust in the same company's counselling.
Slow reports and admin
Recurring complaints of reports taking many weeks and unresponsive admin, a real risk signal for an EAP where speed is the whole point.
In Summary
Optima Health is becoming the consolidator of UK workplace health: AIM-listed, acquisitive (Care first in 2025, PAM agreed in 2026), and attractive to procurement teams who want occupational health, EAP, screening and training on one invoice.
The counselling service inside it is the old Care first operation, which was solid but dated, and the group's public reputation for speed is weak: a 1.9 Trustpilot score with complaints about ten-week occupational health reports and unanswered data requests.
If you buy it, buy it for the integrated OH capability and hold the EAP to measurable response-time commitments in the contract.
How Optima Health compares to Spill
Optima's EAP is one service line inside a £110 million occupational health company, reached through a phone line and capped at a contract-dependent number of sessions. Spill is a dedicated mental health product: unlimited therapy sessions with BACP-registered counsellors from the top 5 percent of applicants, booked in one click inside Slack or MS Teams, usually for the same day.
Transparency is the other gap. Spill publishes everything: pricing from £75 a month, a rolling 30 day contract with no exit fees, and setup in hours. Optima's EAP pricing, session counts and response times all sit behind a sales process.
Choose Optima Health if you need occupational health, absence management and an EAP from a single national supplier. Choose Spill if you want unlimited same-day therapy with pricing you can see before a sales call.
Want to see what one-click therapy access looks like? book a free 30 minute demo with our team.