Five years on, is Britain’s strategy to combat loneliness working?
Why it’s worth fighting harder against loneliness
“Where do they all come from?” wondered Paul McCartney in 1966. Britain’s government has taken a more analytical approach to lonely people. Five years ago it launched a “loneliness strategy”, to tackle “one of the greatest public-health challenges of our time.” The Office for National Statistics (ons) developed measures to test it. The government provided funds for research. It told doctors to try “social prescribing”, sending patients to social events rather than to the pharmacy. And it appointed a loneliness minister.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “All by myself”
Britain August 12th 2023
- Britain doubles down on the life-sciences industry
- Five years on, is Britain’s strategy to combat loneliness working?
- A big data breach endangers police in Northern Ireland
- What broken ferries reveal about Scotland’s government
- In defence of Britain’s public toilets
- From wild swimming to grouse shooting, Britain is in hock to hobbyists
From the August 12th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Britain
Many Britons are waiting 12 hours at A&E
The crisis in emergency care has deep roots
Is British justice too secretive?
Controversy rages over what happened both before and after a horrendous mass stabbing
Britain’s oldest newspaper is a treasure trove of trivia
Why historians love the London Gazette
The rise of the Net-Zero Dad
Middle-aged men care less about the problem. But they love the solution
Backing Heathrow expansion suggests Labour is serious about boosting growth
It is the surest sign yet that the government is up for the fight