Supporting claimants' health: A role for the personal adviser?

This study centres on the way in which welfare claimants' health-related needs are understood and addressed within the new welfare-to-work landscape. The study takes a specific interest in the role of the Personal Adviser, a central frontline practice figure who has previously been extensively involved in implementing UK welfare-to-work policy. A qualitative methodology underpinned by ethnographic principles was implemented. The study design aimed to take into consideration the macro, meso and micro-level factors that characterise the policy arena, provider organisations that provide employment support and frontline practice. The methods selected were: a documentary review, participant observation of the policy arena, observation of the practice arena and semi-structured interviews. The study found that the Personal Adviser is often at the heart of employment support delivery. Personal Advisers are expected to be competent in adopting different roles, some of which might conflict and cause tensions, when meeting the diverse needs of claimants who have health conditions. These findings raise important questions about the legitimacy and preparedness of Personal Advisers' practice in relation to supporting claimants' health. The findings also found that Prime Work Programme provider organisations had proposed varied levels of health-related support provision, and some of their models had a lack of prominence to health. This raises concerns about equity, quality and adequacy of any support being provided. The need for welfare policy to retain a health focus has been shown to be crucial, and integration between the NHS and employment provision needs to be improved, especially at the frontline. This study has contributed new knowledge about the nature of health-related support within the policy and practice context, and the Personal Adviser's role in supporting claimants with health conditions in the newly emerging world of welfare-to-work.