The aim of this book is to inform policy decisions on whether and how the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) might be able to develop practical methods of screening that could perhaps also be linked to rehabilitation programmes or other work-focused interventions. It collates and lays out the evidence on a number of issues:
· the conceptual and scientific basis for screening
· whether screening can be applied to all conditions
· policy and ethical implications
· the practicality of screening in a DWP setting
· the distinction between screening to identify those at risk of long-term incapacity and assessing obstacles to coming off benefits in those at risk, and so identifying what can be done to help return to work
· the relative value and role of administrative data (i.e. socio-demographic, DWP file data) vs. clinical and psycho-social data