HEALTH officials will today discuss plans to tackle social isolation and loneliness in Dorset.

It comes after research has revealed loneliness can be as bad for your health as smoking and obesity.

More than one million older people in the UK say they are always or often feel lonely, according to an Age UK survey and a review found loneliness increases the chance of early death by 30 per cent.

The scale of the problem locally is unknown but according to research, isolation and loneliness is having a ‘significant impact’ on older people as well as those with mental health needs and learning disabilities – and is increasing demand on local services.

A report for the Bournemouth and Poole Health and Wellbeing Board meeting calls for the local authority to put in place a clear action plan to reduce loneliness.

Among the suggested recommendations are to identify who is lonely in the community, to review avoidable winter deaths and suicides to identify ‘preventative intervention points’ and ensure people at trigger points in their lives such as bereavement, loss, divorce and retirement are receiving effective support.

Christopher Beale, chief executive of Poole Council for Voluntary Service, who is a lead officer of the report, said: “Social isolation and loneliness is a serious issue in our community. If you think the world has given up on you, the chances are you’ll become more and more isolated.

“I think it’s something we all have to be responsible for whether it’s looking at our own future or making a commitment to helping others in the community.”

The Campaign to End Loneliness, which works with organisations to tackle loneliness through community action, said the impact of loneliness on physical and mental health is significant, which in turn has cost implications for the NHS, social care and the wider economy. They say lonely individuals are more likely to visit their GP, undergo early entry into residential or nursing care and be admitted to accident and emergency services.

Marcus Rand, director of the Campaign to End Loneliness, said: “We're very pleased to learn that Bournemouth and Poole Health and Wellbeing Board are looking at how they can combat loneliness in the region. Currently around 20 per cent of Boards in England still have no written commitment to tackle loneliness in older age. The Campaign is calling for every Local Authority in the country to put in place a clear action plan with measurable targets for reducing loneliness in their local population."