The findings in CA’s report (A very general practice) echo a study published last year by LAG, which suggested doctors’ surgeries are buckling under demand from health problems caused by patients’ social welfare law problems (Legal Action December 2014/January 2015 6).

The Low Commission’s second report (Getting it Right in Social Welfare Law) put down a marker for the future agenda for advice services and integrated working with the NHS and care sectors. Health policy makers talk about ‘prevention services’ as the new frontier for the NHS, whether delivered through public health policies, wellbeing strategies, integrative care models or better information.

The Low Commission in partnership with the Advice Services Alliance will shortly be publishing an extensive evidence review on advice in health settings and contexts. Building on existing research, this review looks at the role of advice services in health, both in terms of the health impact of social welfare law problems and the beneficial health impacts of receiving good advice. It makes a number of recommendations for healthcare commissioning bodies about embedding advice within service models.

This is likely to be a big area of health policy development and debate in the new parliament. There is mounting evidence that there are indirect savings to be had from structuring services to address social issues. However, this will require a shift in commissioning as the new structures created in the last parliament become embedded under the new administration. Commissioners need to actively engage advice service providers in addressing non-health needs and a stronger voice is needed for the advice sector within local decision-making structures.