Latest news

This summary introduces an article published by Perspectives in Public Health, September 2022

In this article, the authors outline their approach to public involvement and engagement (PIE) in the mixed-method, multi-site study about the mental health effects of Universal Credit, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

PJ is a public contribtor to the study, who has lived experience of the Universal Credit system. This is his poem:

Why does my benefit … CRUSH down.
The road to employed is a steep enough hill, why place a mountain to defeat my will.
Why does my benefit … CRUSH down.
The road to good health, is long and hard to chart, why place a minefield to blow me apart.
Why does my benefit . . . CRUSH down.
The road to inclusion is digital only, why place obstacles to hinder and goad me.
Why does my benefit. . .CRUSH down
The road out of poverty is a torrid time, why do I feel I did a crime.
Why does my benefit … CRUSH down.
The road they built doesn’t care or feel, I’m not a problem I’m just real.
Why does my benefit . . . CRUSH ME DOWN.

PJ’s poem powerfully illustrates his experiences of Universal Credit (UC).

The study into the mental health effects on Universal Credit began in May 2021, but the public involvement process started long before in 2016 in North East England when the public, voluntary sector staff and elected members in local government began voicing concerns about the rollout of Universal Credit and its consequences for citizens and services.

This coincided with co-author (and ARC NENC Research Fellow) Dr Mandy Cheetham working as an embedded researcher in Gateshead.  In response to the concerns identified by community members about Universal Credit, Gateshead Council commissioned qualitative research that subsequently reported negative experiences of Universal Credit.

Inspired by powerful narratives of people claiming Universal Credit, including PJ, Mandy developed links with Gateshead Poverty Truth Commission (GPTC). Their approach centred on building connections between people with lived experience and those in positions of power to affect change.

Collaboration between academics with a strong track record of previous work highlighting the health impacts of UK welfare reforms over the last decade enabled a successful application to NIHR’s call for research on changes to the welfare system (19/106). These long-standing partnerships between the research team, citizens and staff in voluntary organisations and local government informed the application.

Research team members drew on existing links with stakeholders and UC claimants in North East England, Liverpool and Glasgow whose knowledge and lived experience were valued equally.

They anticipated that their input would benefit the research in multiple ways: help prioritise the questions asked in the research, identify outcomes of interest, and enhance the quality and relevance of the findings.

The article reflects their experiences so far, whilst acknowledging that they are at the beginning rather than the end of the journey – and anticipate public involvement activities will continue to develop throughout the study, across all workstreams.

The research team are listening, learning and creating opportunities for others to hear about the effects of UC through poetry, conversation and continual dialogue. They are hoping to change assumptions, narratives and perspectives along the way.

Read the full article – published in Perspectives in Public Health, September 2022

NIHR ARC NENC contributors to this article are Dr Mandy Cheetham, ARC Research Fellow, Dr Felicity Shenton, ARC NENC PICE Manager, and Professor Susan Moffatt, Newcastle University.