Yorkshire’s shame as region branded worst for loneliness

Campaigners have warned that millions of lonely people are going uncounted as the tracking of isolation fails to go beyond those already in the care system.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre’s survey provides the first national measure of social isolation among those receiving adult social care. It found that in Yorkshire, only 43 per cent felt that they had as much social contact with others as they would like.

But Leeds was highlighted by Care Minister Norman Lamb as the worst in England, with more than two-thirds of the people surveyed – 70.3 per cent – saying they did not have as much social contact as they would like.

Mr Lamb urged more people to volunteer and support those who are lonely. “These figures show that there is still a proportion of people receiving social care without the level of contact they would like,” he said. “But we can all play our part in making sure that those who are isolated feel part of the community again.”

The provisional figures, set to be finalised later this year, were published as part of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework, a key tool for the Department of Health in setting direction for the delivery of adult social care.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s programme manager, Tracey Robbins, said people receiving care were often isolated in their homes and struggled to engage with the community.

In Leeds, she said, insular communities, a transient population and pockets of deprivation “all contribute towards a feeling of isolation”.

“Community groups, individuals and neighbours need to reach out to people in their area who are in need,” she said. “The true scale of loneliness is far wider.”

Loneliness increases the risk of heart disease, blood clots and dementia and can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.