We can all agree the government must provide additional funding to address the long term effects of social isolation. We know that care and support services need a fighting chance if they are to cope with rising demand as our first COVID-19 winter beckons. But the real question is: why fund local government to do this?
Barking and Dagenham's innovative Citizens Alliance Network (BDCAN) offers coordinated practical help and support for tens of thousands of vulnerable residents. It reaches significantly more people than those on the NHS Shielding list. We know more residents who could benefit from it. That's why we plan to reach out to them as the rate of transmission rises.
The key to BDCAN is that it is not a one-person show. Instead, it is co-led by the council and a collection of around 80 community and faith organisations that make up the civic society of our borough. It makes regular contact with almost 1,000 residents over the phone and carries out over 500 home visits. Going forward, it has the potential to offer a lifeline for those suffering from isolation who are without informal means of support.
People want a hand up, not a handout. This is what BDCAN offers by strengthening engagement and offering to empower them. BDCAN stepped in when food parcels and prescriptions needed to be delivered during the pandemic. The network is now working together to keep in touch with those for whom loneliness is the wolf at the door.
The easy thing for the government to do right now is cut local authority budgets. But this would be as wrong-headed as it would be short-sighted. If we are to save the public coffers, we need initiatives like BDCAN.
In recent years, government funding for local authorities has left a lot to be desired. We have coped in Barking and Dagenham but, like others, we face significant shortfalls. Many councils are struggling to provide the statutory minimum, like social care and public health services, which act as a vital safety net for the most vulnerable in our society.
It is these already vulnerable residents that are most likely to be acutely affected by social isolation during the pandemic. Shielding residents, those with existing health conditions, the elderly and people with mobility issues who have already spent the most time at home during the pandemic, distant even from family, friends, and neighbours.
Many have become anxious around other people or when out in public. Those who have had social contact via telephone or online consider themselves lucky. But it is not a replacement for human interaction. All this takes its toll and it is not just on individuals. The Government's own loneliness strategy published in October 2018 acknowledges the health and economic impacts of loneliness and isolation.
As many as 21,000 people live alone in Barking and Dagenham. Many have families who live out of the area that were not able to provide any informal support. Others still have no reliable family or friendship network at all. The Office for National Statistics says the most deprived areas are most at risk from coronavirus. We are yet to realise the full impact that missed hospital appointments and delays in receiving medical advice, really mean.
No longer being required to shield does not mean people will not continue being cautious about leaving the house if they are at risk. Research by Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation published in August revealed 21% of people who were shielding during lockdown will continue to do so until there is a vaccine.
Reaching out now – whether through a friendly chat or a more formal wellbeing check - will not only reduce social isolation and save lives, but it also harbours wider financial and economic benefits.
We must plan for and consider how closed workplaces and job losses will drive up social isolation and poorer mental health as well as stop people putting bread on the table.
In Barking and Dagenham, many of our residents are employed in retail and hospitality - sectors of the economy taking the biggest hit. Up to a half been furloughed or are now receiving universal credit.
Up and down the country, the government is leaving councils no choice but to take money out of social care, mental health, community support and public health services during an ongoing national health emergency.
Tackling social isolation must receive equal status alongside proper funding for social care and public health if we are to truly co-exist in our COVID-19 world.
Cllr Maureen Worby is cabinet member for social care & health integration at Barking & Dagenham LBC
