Social Policy, Professional Regulation and Health Support Work in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This paper examines the neglected area of health support work in the United Kingdom in the context of recent social policy and studies of professionalisation. A variety of socio-economic trends have led policy makers to give greater consideration to this section of the healthcare workforce. Professional regulatory issues and recent reviews in the health field have provided the leverage to alter existing healthcare boundaries, as well as to enhance public protection. Drawing on commissioned research, it is argued that health support workers are not only an important area of study in their own right, but also raise interesting questions about the broader process of health policy making and professionalisation.