Agenda item

Report CS18132

The Senior Planning and Development Officer (ECHS) gave an update on local and national initiatives to address the issue of social isolation.

Social isolation impacted the physical and mental wellbeing of individuals and left them at greater risk of abuse.  Groups at risk of social isolation included older people, people with physical or learning disabilities or mental health needs, young parents and care leavers without a local support structure.  To help reduce social isolation in the Borough, the Connecting Bromley campaign had been developed which included befriending services, volunteering opportunities and a searchable directory of activities available on the Bromley Mylife Portal.  A meeting had been held with the Bromley Youth Council to discuss how young people could work more closely with older people, as a result of which members of the Bromley Youth Council would be volunteering with local charities during Summer 2018.  Future work to tackle social isolation included plans to include social isolation as a priority within the forthcoming strategy for older people and those approaching old age.  At a national level, the issues of loneliness and social isolation continued to be highlighted in the media and the Prime Minster had appointed a Minister with responsibility for loneliness with the aim of developing a cross-cutting national strategy later in 2018.

Denise Mantell, Senior Planning and Development Officer (ECHS) advised the Board that 532 responses had been received to the Adult Social Care Survey 2017/18.  Although this data had not yet been validated, initial indications suggested that levels of social isolation were similar to those identified in the 2016/17 survey, with 5% of respondents saying they felt socially isolated.  The Bromley Mylife Portal continued to be promoted, including via e-mail notifications sent out immediately prior to the Christmas and Easter periods following which there had been a significant increase in the number of visits to the Connecting Bromley area.

In response to a question from a Member, the Senior Planning and Development Officer (ECHS) confirmed that the definition of being lonely was self-defining, but that social isolation was defined by the level of contact an individual had with other people, although it was a personal choice to pursue any kind of social contact.  A Member suggested that work to promote social inclusion be taken forward in relation to work to extend the take-up of Direct Payments, and a Board Member underlined the need to engage all key partners in the development of the forthcoming strategy for older people and those approaching old age, including the third sector.  A Board Member observed that social isolation could lead to individuals making poor decisions about their wellbeing, and another Member highlighted the importance of ensuring people had access to quality social contact.

The Chairman noted the success of the Adult Services Stakeholder Conference on social isolation in November 2016 and queried whether it would be useful to host a further event on a similar theme.  It was agreed that outcomes from the engagement with older people towards developing the forthcoming strategy for older people and those approaching old age be provided to the meeting of Health and Wellbeing Board on 27^th September 2018.

RESOLVED that:

1)  The continued promotion of the Connecting Bromley campaign and local intelligence about social isolation be noted; and,

2)  Members’ comments on how the Board and its Members can work within communities in Bromley to prevent and alleviate social isolation and its impact on individuals’ health, wellbeing and safety be noted.