Prof Yeliz Prior Y.Prior@salford.ac.uk
Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation
Prof Yeliz Prior Y.Prior@salford.ac.uk
Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation
Dr Simone Battista S.Battista@salford.ac.uk
Research Fellow
Mr Alan Mathew A.G.Mathew@salford.ac.uk
Lecturer in Occupational Therapy
Dr Jennifer Parker J.Parker17@salford.ac.uk
Research Fellow
Sally Gates
Angela Ching
Prof Alison Hammond A.Hammond@salford.ac.uk
Honorary Staff
Kathryn Radford
Paula Holland
Terence W O’Neill
June Culley
Karen Walker-Bone
Objectives Many individuals diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis (IA) are of working age and experience challenges in maintaining employment. The WORKWELL vocational rehabilitation programme, delivered by occupational therapists (OT) in National Health Service (NHS) rheumatology clinics, is designed to support job retention by aligning individuals’ abilities with their work demands. As part of a multi-centre randomised controlled trial, this qualitative process evaluation explored therapists’ and line managers’ perspectives on the training, implementation, and delivery of WORKWELL to inform its future integration and scalability. Methods A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 26 therapists and five line managers across 17 NHS Trusts in England, Wales, and Scotland, both before and after the trial. Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) was applied inductively, followed by a deductive Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) analysis to explore intervention coherence, engagement, implementation, and sustainability. Results Before the trial, work support was inconsistent, with OTs providing informal advice and signposting but lacking structured vocational rehabilitation (VR) assessments. Post-trial, therapists viewed WORKWELL as a valuable, structured intervention, enhancing job retention support. Remote delivery during COVID-19 was well-received, improving accessibility. However, implementation challenges included time constraints, increased workloads, and staffing shortages. Line managers had limited involvement but recognised the programme’s benefits, though concerns about long-term sustainability remained. Conclusions WORKWELL was successfully integrated into NHS practice, with remote delivery enhancing accessibility. Addressing workforce constraints, managerial engagement, and digital integration could improve long-term feasibility and impact, ensuring sustained access to job retention support for people with IA. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03942783; ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN61762297.
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Jun 17, 2025 |
Online Publication Date | Jun 25, 2025 |
Deposit Date | Jul 10, 2025 |
Publicly Available Date | Jul 10, 2025 |
Journal | Rheumatology Advances in Practice |
Print ISSN | 2514-1775 |
Electronic ISSN | 2514-1775 |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1093/rap/rkaf076 |
Accepted Version
(353 Kb)
PDF
Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
OP0113-HPR THE WORKWELL TRIAL: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF JOB RETENTION VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION ON EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES AMONG PEOPLE WITH INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS
(2025)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
POS1156 FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH TIME TO DIAGNOSIS OF AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS IN A UK POPULATION. A CROSS-SECTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY
(2025)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
A Scoping Survey for the UK Rheumatology Occupational Therapy Capabilities Framework
(2025)
Journal Article
About USIR
Administrator e-mail: library-research@salford.ac.uk
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