Loneliness and social isolation can have a real effect on the physical and mental health of any age group. It's recognised as a public health issue, with research showing the effect of strong social relationships on the risk of death is comparable to well-known risks like smoking and alcohol consumption.
As part of our commitment to tackle Loneliness, we appointed 15 'Loneliness Champions' back in September 2019, to help cement our approach to tackling the issues and promote awareness. We have a wide representation from teams across our business including trades, lettings, engagement, income, housing management, support and older persons services.
We recently launched a Loneliness Awareness Programme to help colleagues understand the impact of loneliness and isolation, as well as recognising the signs.