Agenda item

Report ACH22-026

The Committee considered a report providing an update in delivering the Tackling Loneliness Strategy Action Plan. The Tackling Loneliness Strategy was approved by Adult Care and Health Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee in November 2021 and was launched later that year. At the time, Members were advised that an updated Action Plan would be brought to the Committee with evidence of progress throughout the lifetime of the Strategy.

Councillor Mike Botting, Executive Assistant for Adult Care and Health  informed Members that he had recently taken on the role of Loneliness Champion, which he considered it to be a great privilege. Thanks were extended to Councillor Cuthbert, who had previously been the lead Member on this project, the Assistant Director for Strategy, Performance and Corporate Transformation and the Strategy Officer, for the work they had undertaken to date. The Chairman welcomed the Principal Loneliness Champion to the meeting, and led Members in congratulating her on the appointment to this role.

The Strategy Officer informed Members that key success in recent months had included:

-  the recruitment and appointment of the Principal Loneliness Champion, whose role would be responsible for delivering the Action Plan;

-  the expansion of Simply Connect Bromley through the input of volunteers working on the project;

-  running social media communications programmes promoting emotional wellbeing and Loneliness Awareness Week;

-  work by statutory partners, the community sector and faith groups to support Ukrainian refugees to connect with other Ukrainian families and their local communities whilst settling in the borough;

-  work by partners in the libraries, leisure and community sectors to support groups at risk of and experiencing loneliness by participating in targeted activities;

-  the development of a service offer to reduce isolation and loneliness and enhance the befriending offer across all pathways in the re-commissioned Bromley Well contract;

-  the launch of the Platinum Jubilee Parks Fund in July 2022 including initiatives to tackle loneliness and reduce isolation; and,

-  updating the Accessible Guide to Transport;

The Chairman echoed the comments made by the Executive Assistant for Adult Care and Health, and commended officers on an excellent report which demonstrated the fantastic progress being made against the Action Plan. It was noted that the next update was scheduled to be presented to the Adult Care and Health Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting in January 2023.

A Member highlighted the importance of not relying too heavily on the voluntary sector and the need to be proactive. It was considered that the Simply Connect Bromley e-directory was a fantastic resource, but needed some tweaking to ensure it was user-friendly. The Strategy Officer said that this would be passed on to partners and they would look to address the gaps highlighted.

In response to questions, the Strategy Officer said that an issue raised during the engagement process was that those experiencing isolation may not have access to, or may be unfamiliar with, accessing the internet and/or social media. Part of the Principal Loneliness Champion’s role would be to train frontline professionals to identify individuals at risk, and assist them to use resources and access information. The team were aware of the venues that residents would visit for information, and they would continue to work with these venues to ensure that hard copies of documents were available. They acknowledged that information should not be solely web-based, and they were also exploring other options, such as sharing information via faith groups and community leaders. The Assistant Director for Strategy, Performance and Corporate Transformation noted that printed copies could go out of date quickly so there was a need to ensure that information was being made available in a number of different ways. Members were provided with a copy of the ‘Bromley – Your Guide to Independent Living, Support and Care Services 2022/23’ publication – 7,000 copies had been printed and distributed to libraries, frontline health and social care professionals, Councillors, GP surgeries, pharmacies, faith group leaders and voluntary groups. The Strategy Officer said that they would be happy to distribute the document even wider if there were any other suggested recipients. An electronic version of the document was also available online.

A Member noted that there was no longer a traditional cohort of people that were considered to be at risk of becoming lonely or socially isolated and enquired as to which social media platforms were used to promote the Action Plan. The Strategy Officer said that Loneliness Awareness Week had been promoted through the LBB twitter account. Other avenues were being explored, including discussions with the LBB Communications Executive regarding the possibility of producing podcasts – the Principal Loneliness Champion would look to expand this further, giving consideration to the platforms that different demographics of the population were likely to use. A Co-opted Member noted that there were a number of community Facebook groups, which could help to promote information within a specific area – if the Strategy Officer could provide information, he would be happy to share it.

A Member suggested that this could provide an opportunity to teach residents to use technology. It was noted that organisations, such as Age UK Bromley and Greenwich, delivered computer classes and these should be well advertised in the booklet. Another Member considered that libraries could also be used to run training sessions on IT skills, which could help to mitigate against loneliness at the same time. Other offers, such as free yoga sessions could also be advertised, highlighting the benefits to both physical and mental health. The Strategy Officer agreed that a “two-pronged” approach would help overcome loneliness whilst providing the opportunity for people to participate in an activity; learn a new skills; or improve their health.

In response to questions from a Co-opted Member, the Strategy Officer advised that they were currently looking at how to get information on tackling loneliness into local communities. Colleagues in Public Health were delivering blood pressure checks across the borough and sharing information within communities, and such venues as well as resident’s associations would be good channels to promote information. It was noted that during the pandemic, volunteers had kept a watchful eye on neighbours, particularly during the winter period, and offered support, and this was considered to be a good way to help mitigate the impact of social isolation and loneliness. The Strategy Officer confirmed that the borough had a library at home service, which could be used to promote the Action Plan.

A Member said that, going forward, there were some concerns in relation to Priority Two: community infrastructure that empowers social connections, due to the anticipated increase in the cost of utilities, and enquired if any work was being undertaken in relation to this. The Portfolio Holder for Adult Care and Health confirmed that conversations were taking place. It was noted that the new Prime Minister had promised to address the cost of energy bills, however a statement in relation to this was still awaited. In response to questions, the Strategy Officer said that the team were in contact with Social Prescribing Link Workers, and they had been shown the facilities available on the Simply Connect Bromley website – work was ongoing to reinforce this, and remind them of what was available. It was noted that the work with care homes and Extra Care Housing was in the early stages, and no further information could be provided at this point.

A Co-opted Member enquired if the Accessible Guide to Transport had been compiled in consultation with disabled people living in the borough. The Strategy Officer advised that communications had been sent to Bromley Experts by Experience, asking for comments in relation to the Guide, however a response had not been received. The Strategy Officer said that work would be undertaken to ensure that the Guide was up to date, and further input would be welcomed. A Member noted that the online Guide was a lengthy document and suggested that it may be beneficial to have a one-page crib sheet of numbers to call and apps to use. The Strategy Officer said that this was something that could be explored.

The Executive Assistant for Adult Care and Health advised Members that the Action Plan was an organic document, which would develop as they went forward. Members were encouraged to email any further suggestions to the Strategy Officer and Principal Loneliness Champion following the meeting.

RESOLVED that the progress made in delivering the Tackling Loneliness Strategy Action Plan 2022–2026 be noted.