Support Needs of Health and Disability Claimants
About the study
We are aiming to understand the support needed by people who receive health and disability benefits, including support to access work. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to carry out this study on their behalf.
The research aims to understand:
- The personal circumstances of health and disability claimants.
- The current barriers that health and disability claimants face in accessing work.
- How claimants’ needs for support and their ability to work have changed over time.
As part of this study, a selected group of those receiving benefits such as Universal Credit (UC), New Style Employment and Support Allowance (NSA ESA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) have been invited to complete a short questionnaire about their experiences. Some participants may also be invited to take part in a follow-up interview or focus group with NatCen researchers.
Who is carrying out the research?
NatCen is the UK’s largest independent social research agency. For 50 years, we have been working with charities and government to find out what people really think about the big issues. NatCen is independent of all government departments and political parties.
NatCen will conduct and analyse this research and write a report outlining the findings for the DWP.
Why take part and what will it involve?
Taking part will provide important information on the experiences of people receiving benefits for a disability or health condition. It will help DWP to better understand people’s support needs.
The survey will ask you about your health and well-being, your benefits, and any support you might need. Your answers will provide vital information about the experiences of adults in the UK who receive these benefits. You are welcome to have a relative, friend or support worker with you while completing the survey. If taking part is difficult for you, it is also possible for that person to participate on your behalf.
NatCen may contact you by phone after you have completed the survey to ask if you would like to participate in an interview or focus group about your experiences.
As a thank you for taking part you will also receive a £5 Love2shop voucher that you can spend in many high street shops. This will not affect your benefits now or at any time in the future.
Why have I been selected to take part?
Records held by the DWP show that you currently receive at least one of the following:
- Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
You have been selected at random among those who receive these benefits. The DWP want to learn more about the help you may need, including help accessing work.
Do I have to take part?
No. You can contact NatCen either by phone on 0800 652 4569 or by email at workandhealth@natcen.ac.uk if you would prefer not to be contacted again for this research.
If you are receiving benefits your decision whether to take part will not affect your benefits, either now or at any time in the future.
Is the study confidential?
The information you give will be treated as confidential as directed by the Code of Practice for Statistics. Your responses will be anonymised, and the statistics produced will not identify you or anyone in your household. Your responses will be used for research purposes only and will not be combined with information held by the Department of Work and Pensions or any government department/organisations.
For more information on how your data will be used, visit the privacy notice.
Do I have to complete the survey in one go?
The survey should only take between 20-25 minutes to complete. You can take breaks and complete the survey at your own pace.
If you’re completing the survey online and want to stop at any point, the survey will save automatically. Once you’re ready to continue, enter the same link you used to access the survey, then enter the same access code and you will be able to continue.
If you’d prefer to complete the survey by telephone and need to take a break, let the interviewer know and they will either arrange a break or call you back later.
What happens if the survey times out?
To protect the confidentiality of your answers, the questionnaire will close if left for an extended period of inactivity. Your answers will have been saved so you can log back in by using the link in the letter.
I have completed the questionnaire, but you contacted me again to remind me.
Thank you for taking part! It might be that you completed the questionnaire after we had checked our records. We apologise, but we will have safely received your answers and you will still receive your voucher.
You contacted me again to take part in a follow up interview or focus group.
If, as part of the questionnaire, you agreed to be contacted again to take part in a follow up interview or focus group, we may have ben in touch about this. You can find out more about the interviews and focus groups here.
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact us on workandhealth@natcen.ac.uk or call us free on 0800 652 4569. If you wish to contact the DWP about this study, email research.workandhealth@dwp.gov.uk.
Further support
If you've been affected by issues raised in the survey, click here.
Private notice
To read more about why and how the personal data (also called personal information) you provide is being used, visit the privacy notice.