4.6.1 Expectations of employment
At the end of the panel period, nine months after the first research interview, the main hope for some people was for stability in their condition or improvement in their health. Some people still waiting for the outcomes of medical investigations or hoping for further treatment, said that they were going to wait to see what happened before thinking much more about work. Some whose health had deteriorated were no longer thinking much about working. Those who said they doubted that they would work again were in their 50s and had poor health. One person in this age group was hoping for a successful outcome of an application for DLA which would mean there would be no financial need to work. There were also people who felt they had urgent domestic and family issues to resolve before committing themselves to doing anything about work.
We asked those people in work at the time of the final panel interview how they felt about the future, in terms of employment. There was a wide spectrum of expectations. Using Permitted Work rules in a new job was working well for one person although reduction in income support meant there was no perceived financial benefit. The person did not reflect on what might happen at the time limit for permitted work. People no longer receiving incapacity benefit and working for
an employer were generally pleased with their job and expected to stay. One way of increasing hours of work was to look for a second job. One person had already been successful and was hopeful of keeping this going although there were likely to be seasonal fluctuations in income from this self-employed venture.
By contrast, leaving incapacity benefit by returning to previous self-employed work was not working well for a person whose health was deteriorating. Whether to stop working again would depend on whether the hospital consultant could offer any further treatment. Also not working out well for the person involved was returning to a job held open. Despite negotiations, it was proving hard to meet the employer’s demands, in terms of tasks and hours required, and the person felt at risk of losing his job.
Finally, we look at those people who were not working at the end of the panel period, but were still interested in the idea of having paid work at some time in the future. Among this group, continuing a college course in order to obtain a qualification was often now a main aim. Such people were generally engaged in part-time courses leading to a qualification in information technology (computer literacy and word-processing). Some had been pleased to pass intermediate examinations and were studying for the next stage. At the same time, they scanned newspaper advertisements to see what jobs were available. For the time being, while they managed their health condition or cared for their family, they felt they were on the right course of action.
4.6.2 Services needed to achieve aims
The researchers asked whether there were any services that might help people achieve their aims, in terms of employment. Answers might, it was hoped, provide information about ways in which employment programmes might be developed further or show policy makers where links to other services might be strengthened. As we might expect, faster response within NHS services would help some people who were on waiting lists for scans, consultant appointments or surgery.
Self-help groups for people in particular circumstances would have been welcome to some. Mentioned here were local self-help groups for people with severe pain, and support groups for women with health conditions who were socially isolated. The people concerned had searched themselves for such groups in their local area. One had found a group that might be helpful, but been unable to afford the fee. Some people pointed to changes needed in the way that work was organised. There were some suggestions for work to be made available in different ways, with more employers offering work trials and work experience to people claiming incapacity benefit. One man had strong views here, and said that more creative strategies were needed, such as opportunities for non-standard hours and hours-based contracts. A person who argued for some kind of ‘financial top-up’ for people who left benefit but could not achieve sufficient earnings appeared not to take into account Working Tax Credit, but it was not clear if he understood how this might help.
4.6.3 Further contacts with the Pilot
The researchers asked people whether they expected further contact with their Personal Adviser. As well as showing how far people understood the nature of the programme and the sequence and aims of components, it was hoped that answers might throw light on whether people perceived the Personal Adviser and Jobcentre Plus services as a resource for the future.
At the time of the last panel interview, one person was still taking part in a Condition Management Programme and expected to continue further sessions. Some others who had valued the contact with the Personal Adviser were still calling in to see them from time to time to talk about what was happening, and expected to continue doing so. The formal status of such interactions was not always clear to the researchers.
People who had been told by the adviser that they would not be asked to go for further interviews thought that their involvement had probably come to an end. People who had left benefit were not generally expecting further contacts, other than to renew Return to Work Credit. However, some long-term benefit recipients thought they would be ‘called in’ to the Jobcentre again at some stage, because in their experience that was what usually happened.
Otherwise, there was some uncertainty among people about whether there would be further contacts with the Personal Adviser. When the relationship with the Personal Adviser had been good, some people perceived possible future circumstances in which they would return for further information or advice, for example, if they found a job independently, or if health improved to the point at which they started to think about working. They would trust the adviser to give appropriate information about the impact on benefits, or welcome help in looking for suitable opportunities. People whose overall experience had been negative hoped to have no further contact.