Qualitative Evaluation of the Support Worker Role
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identifying determinants to the integration of the support worker / peer support worker role within the National Health Service and third sector organisations
IRAS ID
317505
Contact name
Leah Avery
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Teesside University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Support workers (SWs) and peer support workers (PSWs) are individuals with personal experience of health issues who provide emotional, practical and social support to others in similar situations. In the context of mental health, evidence suggests that this type of support can improve an individual’s sense of well-being, confidence, their ability to connect with others, reduce their need to use healthcare services and improve mental health outcomes. In recognition of the value and impact of SW/PSWs the UK government are seeking to integrate SWs/PSWs into mental health services as a core part of the multi-disciplinary team. As part of these plans, over 2,500 SWs/PSWs have been recruited across the North East of England and Cumbria, and 70% of these have been employed in mental health services. While anecdotally these posts have expanded the mental health workforce and provided additional support to those accessing services, to date there has been no formal evaluation to identify the barriers and facilitators to integration of these roles into healthcare teams. The aim of our evaluation is to explore the experiences of SWs/PSWs to (i) identify initial expectations of SWs/PSWs and whether these align with the realities of the role; (ii) to explore the beliefs of SWs/PSWs about whether the role is providing service users with the support they need; and (iii) to identify barriers and enablers to integration of SWs/PSWs, into organisations and multidisciplinary teams. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with SWs/PSWs who are employed by participating organisations. These include Walking with the Wounded; Concern Group; Mental Health Matters; Humankind Charity; Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust; and Tees, Esk & Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust. The evaluation will be conducted over 12 months and will recruit up to 40 support workers/peer support workers.
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/1207
Date of REC Opinion
9 Sep 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion