A systematic review of the health, social and financial impacts of welfare rights advice delivered in healthcare settings

BACKGROUND: Socio-economic variations in health, including variations in health according to wealth and income, have been widely reported. A potential method of improving the health of the most deprived groups is to increase their income. State funded welfare programmes of financial benefits and benefits in kind are common in developed countries. However, there is evidence of widespread under claiming of welfare benefits by those eligible for them. One method of exploring the health effects of income supplementation is, therefore, to measure the health effects of welfare benefit maximisation programmes. We conducted a systematic review of the health, social and financial impacts of welfare rights advice delivered in healthcare settings. METHODS: Published and unpublished literature was accessed through searches of electronic databases, websites and an internet search engine; hand searches of journals; suggestions from experts; and reference lists of relevant publications. Data on the intervention delivered, evaluation performed, and outcome data on health, social and economic measures were abstracted and assessed by pairs of independent reviewers. Results are reported in narrative form. RESULTS: 55 studies were included in the review. Only seven studies included a comparison or control group. There was evidence that welfare rights advice delivered in healthcare settings results in financial benefits. There was little evidence that the advice resulted in measurable health or social benefits. This is primarily due to lack of good quality evidence, rather than evidence of an absence of effect. CONCLUSION: There are good theoretical reasons why income supplementation should improve health, but currently little evidence of adequate robustness and quality to indicate that the impact goes beyond increasing income

Southwark Irish Festival 2008

Programme for the festival held on 4-6 July 2008, at Peckham Rye Common and St Thomas More Hall. Includes numerous advertisements for local and Irish-related businesses

Irish Summer Festival, Samhraim Féile

Flyer for 'a weekend of traditional Irish culture' to be held in Southwark Park on 13-15 July 1990

Eile Shamhraidh

Flyer for Southwark Irish Festival, opening on 11 July [year not stated]

A specification for information services

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:OP-LG/8559 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

London Borough of Southwark Leisure/Social Survey, 1966

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.To obtain information about the local authority facilities people use and facilities they would like to have available.Main Topics:Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions Respondents are asked how they spent their leisure (non-working) time in the last week. Data include type of activity, time and place of activity, with whom this activity was carried out (12 categories), amount spent on each activity in a weekly period, and total amount spent by children on leisure activities (i.e. including sweets, etc). Mode of transport used to get to activity is recorded. Respondent is asked what he would like to take part in, but does not. Reasons for non-participation are recorded. Place and main activity of holidays away from home are given. Survey deals with the use of local authority facilities: type (i.e. sports, library, welfare, educational etc - 12 categories), frequency of use (i.e. in terms of months). A section on vehicle ownership and use is included: a) vehicle users: type of vehicle owned or available for use, length of ownership of such a vehicle, use to which vehicle is put (i.e. journey to work, shopping, recreation etc), number of miles per week covered in vehicle. Type of overnight parking used (8 categories) and amount paid out per week for such garaging/parking; b) non vehicle owner/user: reasons for not having vehicle (6 categories), whether respondent intends to obtain vehicle, if so, when and for what uses (categories given for vehicle users are repeated). Background Variables Age, place of birth, occupation (also whether full or part-time), or school attended, working hours (i.e. shift, day, night etc), number of hours per week regular overtime worked, mode of transport used to travel to place of work/education, general characteristics of household (i.e. number and ages of children, other members of household), general characteristics of dwelling with record of rooms not in use, type of tenure, length of residency, number of dwellings lived in during last five years (addresses of last two given), access for use of garden and/or allotment, shopping habits (for food and for durable goods), average take-home pay and other income (i.e. family allowance, pension etc) is shown

Broken promises The Southwark experience of the London Docklands Development Corporation

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:OP/LG-5942 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Opportunities for all An employers guide to equal opportunities recruitment

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:OP-LG/6948 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Exclusion report A report on black exclusion from schools in Southwark

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:3661.958F(ED 415296) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo