This outlines the research strategy which will be used to evaluate, the SALUS service which was commissioned by County Durham PCT to deliver a service aimed at improving the health outcomes of those who have been in receipt of Incapacity Benefit (IB) for 3 years or more in 4 districts of County Durham. It also outlines the wider aspects of the research, which include qualitative research, a cost effectiveness analysis and a service evaluation.

The SALUS service began on 12/10/09.

SALUS (the service provider) will have a case manager based at the PCT's "Healthworks" premises in Easington. They envisage making links with a wide variety of local agencies in order to recruit participants for the service. Once participants have been recruited Salus envisage contacting and managing the vast majority of their clients via the telephone. This will be done from their call centre operation in Lanarkshire.

We have met with Salus and the key personnel who will be delivering the service on a number of occasions in recent weeks. Discussions have been very productive and a good understanding about our mutual aims arrived at. We are currently developing an integrated assessment tool which will allow SALUS case workers to do their initial assessments and collect the data we will need, thus avoiding unnecessary duplication.

The control group research is already underway and we have been successfully recruiting participants at events arranged by "Job Centre Plus".

 A copy of the questionnaire is available, as is a copy of the recall questionnaire which we intend to use at the 3 subsequent "follow-ups" with this group.