Thesis Title: Social inequalities in the receipt of welfare benefits and the impact of mental and neurological disorders: a big data project
Abstract: Mental health problems are a key reason for why people fall out of work and claim unemployment or disability benefits. It is important for us to understand patterns of benefit receipt over time at a population level, especially focusing on more vulnerable groups in our society. To date, there has been little exchange between individual-level health and benefits data, which has hindered the creation of a robust quantitative evidence base in this area. This PhD project will address this evidence gap by exploring how benefit receipt varies among different groups of people, such as people experiencing mental health problems or a disability, people from different racial and minority ethnic groups, and people with caring responsibilities. This will be achieved by using two novel linked datasets that combine welfare benefits information held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with 1) electronic mental health record data from people accessing South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust secondary mental healthcare services and 2) socio-demographic and health data provided by people who took part in the 2011 Census.
The PhD project also benefits from close collaboration with the CASE partner Lambeth Council who will facilitate a 3-month data-driven placement within their Skills and Employment team. Both Lambeth Council and people with lived experience of navigating the welfare and healthcare system have informed the aims of the PhD and their involvement will remain central throughout the project. The findings of this research will assist in identifying groups of people who may benefit from more support navigating the benefits system, informing tailored interventions to support returning to work if people are able to, and have the potential to inform future forecasting of benefits need and expenditure across population groups on a local, regional, and national level.
Primary Supervisor: Dr Sharon Stevelink
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