None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Chronic unemployment adversely affects health and increases suicide risk. New Zealand has very high youth unemployment and suicide rates. Unemployment is common in people with mental illness, and mental illness is the most frequent reason for work incapacity on the Sickness Benefit (SB). Unemployment, mental illness, and being on the SB are more common in Maori. The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment has proven effectiveness in specialist psychiatric care for helping people with mental illness find open employment. IPS is yet untested in primary care, where most SB medical assessments occur. Two employment consultants will be appointed and trained to deliver IPS to Sickness Beneficiaries with mental illness and/or substance dependence at Dunedin’s free GP clinic. A cohort study is proposed comparing employment outcomes between Sickness Beneficiaries receiving IPS at the free clinic and beneficiaries receiving existing employment support at Work and Income. Participants’ mental health symptoms and use of hospital services will also be monitored. Realistic Evaluation will be used to identify factors promoting the implementation and uptake of the IPS programme.
Interventions
Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment, also known as Evidence-Based Supported Employment (EBSE): individualized intensive employment support services integrated with primary health care services, provided by 2 Employment Consultants to general practice patients seeking Sickness or Invalid's Benefit renewals for work incapacity because of psychiatric or substance dependency problems. The Employment Consultants will see participants on a as-needed basis, depending o
Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment, also known as Evidence-Based Supported Employment (EBSE): individualized intensive employment support services integrated with primary health care services, provided by 2 Employment Consultants to general practice patients seeking Sickness or Invalid's Benefit renewals for work incapacity because of psychiatric or substance dependency problems. The Employment Consultants will see participants on a as-needed basis, depending on their health and vocational needs, for the total duration of the study period (18 months).
Sponsors
New Zealand Health Research Council
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
16 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
All unemployed working age patients presenting during the 6-month run-in period to their GPs at the free clinic requesting a Sickness or Invalid’s Benefit renewal for predetermined psychiatric and substance dependency diagnoses will be eligible to participate.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria are an unwillingness to participate in a vocational rehabilitation programme, and medical conditions (other than those above) judged by the referring GP to preclude working 15 hours or more a week.
Outcome results
None listed