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 socioeconomic
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.