Advice services have a key role in supporting the UK population with advice and information, particularly those who in our most disadvantaged communities who are most at risk of poor health, social, and economic outcomes.

Based on a mixed-method systematic review, our research identifies and synthesises quantitative and qualitative evidence from the academic and grey literatures that can help us understand the health impacts of free advice services.

Key outcomes are the effectiveness of advice interventions on health and wellbeing outcomes and the barriers and enablers of effective intervention delivery, such as accessibility and satisfaction.

Overall, our research seeks to make recommendations for the commissioning and implementation of advice services to maximise health benefits for the local population, and for the monitoring, evaluation and reporting of services.

Project team

• Dr Geoff Bates, Institute for Policy Research (IPR)
• Dr David Young, University of Salford

Outputs

• Maximising the health impacts of free advice services in the UK: A mixed methods systematic review, March 2022
• Protocol: Evidence review of the health and wellbeing outcomes of free advice services in the UK, November 2020