Management team

Jane Neal, Cert. Ed, BPhil Ed.(Counselling) - Director

Jane founded Care first in 1994 and developed the business into a leading provider of employee assistance solutions in the UK and Europe. Following the award of several of the largest EAP contracts in the UK, Care first is now the major provider of EAP services to high profile private sector organisations such as Network Rail and Stagecoach as well as some of the largest central and local Government organisations in the UK.

Before founding Care first, Jane managed and developed one of the UK's first EAP services for British Airways, which was available worldwide to UK and overseas based cabin crew.

Lesley Davidson, BA (Hons) Psychology, MCIPD - Operations Director

Lesley joined Care first in 1996, with a background in human resources for a major PLC.  In 1990 Lesley was a founding member for the first corporate EAP provider in the UK where she gained extensive experience specialising in the delivery of services to high risk, high stress workplaces such as offshore gas and oil platforms. Lesley also developed a programme of national and European service delivery, where her customers included major road haulage companies complying with Drug & Alcohol Policy, through to major UK financial organisations.

Geoff Holmes, MSc., BA (Hons) Social Sciences, Dip. Counselling - Clinical Director

Geoff's experience before joining Care first included work with an international social care organisation, with personal specialist expertise in the field of addictive behaviours. Geoff also held a teaching role as a member of the academic staff of the University of Kent for the Diploma Course in Addictive Behaviours. Alcohol and substance abuse were a primary focus of his work.

Further experience included work with a UK and US based employee assistance organisation co-ordinating 24 hour Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) for organisations worldwide.

Geoff is a member of the Executive Committee of the Association for Counselling at Work (ACW), a sub group of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Delivering the service

Our service managers, telephone counsellors, information specialists and consultants are all permanent staff who, together with our Associate Counsellors, are trained, managed and clinically supervised by Care first.