The impact of welfare advice in General Practice
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study of the impact of welfare advice in General Practice on mental health and healthcare use
IRAS ID
177325
Contact name
Rosalind Raine
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UCL
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2015/05/50, Data protection registration number; B1262 FI0153314 , UCL Insurance policy; EE133902-SLMS-DAHR, DAHR IG Toolkit reference
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 4 months, 27 days
Research summary
A study of the impact of welfare advice in General Practice on mental health and healthcare use.
Demand for welfare advice has increased as a result of welfare reform, recession and austerity. Greater financial hardship is linked with worsening inequalities in health and increased burden on clinical staff linked to consultations for non-medical problems, and for anxiety and stress associated with financial issues. Provision of welfare support services within healthcare settings has been promoted as a means to mitigate some of these problems, but there is a lack of methodologically robust evidence relating to the efficacy and mode of delivery of such services.
This project is a controlled before-and-after study of co-located welfare advice services in General Practitioner (GP) surgeries within two London boroughs, with an embedded qualitative study. Change scores in mental health and self-report GP service use before and after accessing welfare advice (or index date) will be compared among those who have accessed GP-located welfare advice (welfare advice group) and a matched comparison group who have not received welfare advice. Data will be collected via self-report questionnaires at baseline and 3-4 months follow-up; and, among a sub-sample of participants registered with practices participating in the study, changes in the number of consultations three years before and a year after entering the study will be compared using data extracted from patient medical records. Lastly, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with purposively sampled individuals receiving advice, with practice staff, and with welfare advisers providing the service. These aim to aid interpretation of the findings, explore added value provided by GP-located services, understand pathways linking advice to health and support-seeking behaviour, and to assess how particular aspects of service delivery may influence outcomes.
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1260
Date of REC Opinion
10 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion