LONELINESS is described as a major issue in St Helens, particularly amongst older people.

A review undertaken to better understand the levels of loneliness in the borough also concludes that the issue will get worse due to an increasing older population.

A report being presented to councillors at a cabinet meeting last night (Wednesday, August 24) recommends more be done to tackle the problem.

Chair of the group set up to look into loneliness and its effects, Councillor Pat Ireland, said the quality, and not just the quantity, of people's social connections must improve to help prevent loneliness.

According to the North West Mental Wellbeing Survey from 2012/13, 54 per cent of people from St Helens were very satisfied with their personal relationships, falling short of the North West average of 58.3 per cent.

Less than a third of people from the town (31.7 per cent) reported seeing friends and family who they did not live with, on most days - significantly lower than the North West average of 41.2 per cent.

A similar pattern was seen for talking to neighbours on most days, with over a quarter of people in St Helens (27.1 per cent) reporting this - significantly less than the North West average of 33.6 per cent.

Based on this data, St Helens ranks 54th most likely for over 65s to be lonely, out of 348 local authorities in England and Wales, with certain areas within the borough particularly affected, including Parr and parts of the town centre and Earlestown.

Cllr Ireland said: "Loneliness happens when a person feels that they don't have the amount or type of contact with other people that they would like. Some people are happy with only a little contact with others, but some people can feel lonely even if they spend time with lots of other people, particularly if they feel that those relationships aren’t what they would want."

She added: "Anyone can feel lonely, but we know that older people are particularly at risk. As well as being a negative experience, it has also been shown to impact on people's mental and physical health. It is linked with depression and suicide, and lonely people are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease.

"Lonely people are more likely to have unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, drinking excess alcohol and being overweight, all of which can lead to chronic disease."

She adds the impact of loneliness also increases the demand on health and social care services.

Though she feels positive work is being done to tackle the issue, she says it is important that improvements are made where possible - through resource sharing, working harder to identify lonely people, reviewing loneliness in care settings, and developing long-term approaches to preventing loneliness.