Factsheet : Social Isolation

Joint Strategic Needs

Assessment 2016/17

Loneliness and social isolation are harmful to our health: research shows that lacking social connections

is as damaging to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (Holt-Lunstad, 2015). Social networks and

friendships not only have an impact on reducing the risk of mortality or developing certain diseases, but

they also help individuals to recover when they do fall ill (Marmot, 2010).

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What have we got, what are we doing?

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In 2013/14, Public Health inherited responsibility for three contracts which were previously

funded through Section 256 budgets to promote better integration between health and social

care, they were:

• Volunteering service

• Befriending and social activities for older people

• Health and wellbeing service – including self-care and falls prevention

Lets Go Outside and Learn CIC aim to encourage isolated older people, particularly within the

Asian community, to engage with / use outdoor spaces across the borough through regular

guided walks and workshops. The project will address issues of social isolation, improve health

and wellbeing, encourage more use of parks and open spaces and increase awareness of

environmental issues.

LB Hounslow is keen to ensure that residents who are currently less engaged and most at risk of

isolation are targeted in the programme. Let’s Go Outside would welcome referrals from teams

across the Council, GPs and other health and social care services.

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What have we got, what are we doing?

What have we got, what are we doing?

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What have we got, what are we doing?

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What have we got, what are we doing?

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What have we got, what are we doing?

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How are we getting on, any key gaps?

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Loneliness and isolation are related but distinct concepts

Isolation is objective (though definitions vary), loneliness is subjective

Around 10% of older people are often or always lonely

Around 3,000 older people in LB Hounslow expected to be experiencing chronic

loneliness

Weak social connection is a similar risk factor for early mortality as smoking 15

cigarettes a day

Loneliness directly impacts health – links to depression, stroke, and dementia.

Loneliness makes people less likely to pursue healthy behaviours – e.g. Physical

activity

Social isolation has an impact on health and wellbeing leading to:

Increased hospital admissions

Earlier admission to residential care

How do our performance and services compare

with other areas?

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Hounslow has one of the

lowest percentage of people

living alone in London and it

is significantly lower to the

average for the capital and

also the country.

According to the 2011

Census the percentage of

households occupied by a

single person in Hounslow

was 10.31% and the same

figure in London was 12.76%

and in England 12.81%.

The percentage of

households occupied by a

single person was 3.43% in

Hounslow, whereas the

London and England figures

were significantly higher with

3.86% and 5.24%

respectively.

Source: Census 2011;

How do our performance and services compare

with other areas?

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Measures from the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF), England

Hounslow has had a consistently

lower percentage of people who

use services who reported that

they had as much social contact

as they would like, in comparison

to London and England.

Hounslow has a significantly lower

proportion of carers who reported

that they had as much social

contact as they would like,

compared to London and

England.

In Hounslow in 2012/13 only

31.1%, compared to 37.9% in

London, of carers reported that

they had as much social contact

as they would like. In 2014/15 the

percentage decreased to 26.3%.

Future plans, what will this mean for local

people?

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LB Hounslow’s main objectives for the future are: To improve wellbeing of older people and other vulnerable groups

To reduce falls in over 65s;

To reduce social isolation;

To reduce excess winter deaths; and

To increase in priority population accessing health and wellbeing services including but not limited to: stop smoking services, flu

vaccinations, physical activity programs, alcohol services, etc.

Public Health is collaborating with colleagues from Adult Social Care on the development of the new Adults Prevention Strategy. This

strategy will examine the evidence base, review the drivers for new packages of social care in Hounslow and then determine new priority

areas for commissioners to address jointly. When this work is complete it will inform the procurement of new services for the prevention of

ill health in older people.

In addition, Public Health will continue to be involved with the Whole Systems Integrated Care work steams so that our new proposed offer

on lifestyle intervention can be incorporated into plans to improve integration between health and social care and the move to locality-

based models of provision for health and social care.

Other objectives:The development of LIFE is significant – it could be

a core Foundation Service

To be most effective, services need to build in insight around loneliness

Identifying lonely people and targeting support on the most lonely remains a gap

The best way to fill this gap will depend on the wider structural approach adopted

Need clarity around who will support lonely individuals to access community provision – signposting is not enough

Adult social care and social isolation

• Social Isolation: % of adult social care users who have as much

social contact as they would like (2015/16)

• Social Isolation: % of adult carers who have as much social

contact as they would like (2014/15)

Local Authority Rate

Ealing 35.8

Brent 40.2

Hounslow 36.2

London 41.1

Local Authority Rate

Ealing 29.4

Brent 26.6

Hounslow 26.3

London 35.5

Compared

to London

Worse

Similar

Better

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Source: http://www.phoutcomes.info

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Risk factors for loneliness

Other factors of

interest to LB

Hounslow

• Belonging to a

faith community

/ having a faith

• Transience of

the community

• Geographical

challenges

Quote presentation (online link if there is)

Risk factors for loneliness by geographic area

http://www.ageuk.org.uk/professional-resources-home/research/loneliness-maps/

The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) indicates that four factors predict around 20% of the loneliness observed amongst older

people 65 and over; marital status, self-reported health, age, and household size. Using these risk factors a map indicating high risk areas

in Hounslow has been generated as Figure 1.

Figure 1: Risk factors for loneliness in over 65’s in Hounslow

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Quote presentation (online link if there is)

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Risk profile in Hounslow

Quote presentation (online link if there is)