Reducing Social Isolation and Loneliness – Leeds Approach Michelle Atkinson, Commissioning Manager, Carol McGrath, Commissioning Officer Adult Social Care Leeds City Council We will be providing an overview of some of the exiting projects and work aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness in Leeds.

Social Isolation - Leeds Here are statistical information ( Michelle can you add in here where the stats are from)

• Loneliness kills people and communities. “Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” Betty Friedan (American writer and feminist). Key messages: Ensuring Leeds is an age friendly city has long been identified as a priority by older people. Ill health is also a worry for our ageing population and unfortunately, disproportionately affects the poorest in our city. ‘Making Leeds the Best City to Grow Old In’ is our shared initiative to do something about it. Impact of Loneliness: • Loneliness kills people and communities. • Regulation kills kindness and reduces action. • Lonely people are vulnerable. This is a safeguarding issue Loneliness has a direct impact on Social Care and Health services Making Leeds the best city to grow old in is a one of the seven break through projects outlined in councils Best Council Plan 2015 – 2020. The Best Council Plan is focused on countering disadvantage and inequality in Leeds . Leeds will rise to this challenge whilst not underestimating the impact of budget cuts by working together and engaging with our partners and with the public to understand and respond to their needs. As a council, our ambition is to aide this transition by ensuring that people’s care and support needs are met and by ensuring that there are the means for older people to enjoy the city’s broad offer along with every other age group. This is what making Leeds the Best City to Grow Old In should be all about. Ensuring Leeds is an age friendly city has long been identified as a priority by older people. Ill health is also a worry for our ageing population and unfortunately, disproportionately affects the poorest in our city. ‘Making Leeds the Best City to Grow Old In’ is our shared initiative to do something about it. It aims to promote and support social networks within our neighbourhoods and across the city; improve and increase participation; age-proof and develop universal services; reduce social isolation and loneliness and work to change social structure and negative attitudes towards ageing. The philosophy of the plan is that Leeds will ‘adapt and survive and continue to play our part in making Leeds thrive.’

Solutions Here is a flavour of some of the work that LCC are undertaking We have selected a few examples of the exciting projects in Leeds.

Building Community Capacity 3rd Sector Investment – NNS Time Banks ABCD (SeNS) Social Prescribing Investment Grants (New Ideas) Community Brokerage (Local Links) Time to Shine (Lottery Bid) We continue to support 37 NNS across the city. The schemes were created to improve the lives of older people across the city. Each scheme covers a specific area and is run by and for local older people. Recently a further £300k was added to the original £2m per annum funding to expand opportunities for community brokerage, day opportunities and innovative ideas to tackle isolation Time Banks – a number of time banks now operate within LCC – you volunteer your time (putting in) and then withdraw the equivalent (someone helping you)and Asset Based Community Development The SeNS project was developed to: Build on the work of the NNS Received European funding in 3 localities (MA) Focussed on tackling loneliness and isolation esp friendship groups Community organiser/community connector model (MA) Social prescribing, - is defined as “a means of enabling primary care services to refer patients with social, emotional or practical needs to a range of local, non-clinical services, often provided by the voluntary and community sector.”12 Dec 2013 Investment Grants – The LCC ASC Keeping House Programme provides investment grants to community organisations and social enterprises to develop and deliver project that are new and innovative. An example of how this has supported the vision to reduce L&I is     Hawksworth Older People received £2k Kick Start. Proposal - To develop a project for older men in the local community, developing into an independent self-financing “Men’s Shed”. The aim is to create a volunteer led skill share hobby based group that can generate sufficient income to sustain itself and enhance the skill base within the community. Build confidence of the members, increase social interactions, build new friendship and support networks, re-energise former passions and interest of the members, give them a renewed sense of self-worth and value, integrate them into the HOPS community and into the wider community Local link. Time to shine will be covered in more detail at the end of the LCC ASC presentation

How Leeds is working in partnership and supporting the 3rd Sector. The following slides provide an example of how we are involved in a city wide public, private and voluntary sector approach to reducing loneliness and isolation. The following slides are adapted from a presentation develop by a Voluntary Sector Infrastructure - Leeds Older People Project.