Funding secured for Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies to continue

The news comes hot on the heels of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announcing a substantial investment of over £7 million in four innovative research projects designed to tackle health-related economic inactivity. One of the four projects, ‘Support 2 Work’ will focus on evaluating the impact of the EA in NHS Talking Therapies programme.

The nationwide ‘Support 2 Work’ study is being led by researchers from the University of York along with Tees, Esk & Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) and aims to see if different groups of people benefit more or less from seeing an employment advisor, which clinicians and researchers hope in the long term could help decrease healthcare costs and improve the economy.

Professor Rowena Jacobs is the Deputy Head of Department at the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York, and is leading the ‘Support 2 Work’ project. She says,

There are currently no studies that have looked at the NHS Talking Therapies Employment Advisors programme in detail, therefore ‘Support 2 Work’ will be the first of its kind and provide an insight into the service’s effectiveness.”

We are proud to be a partner of the ‘Support 2 Work’ study, offering our expertise and experience in data compliance and NHS data set submissions to ensure the study team have access to the highest quality data possible.

As a trusted technology partner to 1 in 3 NHS Talking Therapies services, PCMIS has supported EA in NHS Talking Therapies since the pilot programme in 2009. Our continued development and configuration work in support of the initiative means Employment Advisors are able to focus on delivering excellent employment support to those in need, confident that the technology at their disposal is fit for purpose and easy to use.

The Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies pathway in PCMIS is available for no extra charge as part of our NHS Talking Therapies case management product. We also have a bespoke ‘Employment Advisors Client Portal’ that enables clients to complete questionnaires in advance of Employment Support appointments and flows their responses securely onto the corresponding digital record in PCMIS, saving admin time and allowing advisors to focus on what they do best.

To discuss how our technology can support your multi-pathway Talking Therapies service, contact us at enquiries@pcmis.com.