These participants had acquired support services Support viewed as piecemeal but found that these programmes sometimes and fragmented stopped suddenly without any clear pathways Experts often found that services and support for for building independence or resilience when those experiencing loneliness lacked cohesion they concluded. The importance of preparing and collaborative working, specifically in terms for leaving a program or giving an option for of signposting and working together to create support to be extended was viewed as a crucial well-defined, structured pathways for those component by participants across groups.experiencing loneliness. This finding highlights the importance of “For example, ire prevention oicers have identifying the needs of the participant from the shown how, by entering people’s homes to outset of support to gauge the frequency of advise on smoke alarms, they can help interventions, and of managing expectations of identify people who might be vulnerable to what programmes can provide in order to avoid loneliness and start a conversation with them disappointment. about other services available.” “It was good while it lasted, but when it (Expert, Community) ended and she stopped coming over to For experts, current service provision was missing the house, me and the baby missed her. an opportunity for joined-up working which could We really missed her support.” potentially identify those individuals at risk who (Young new mum, Belfast, 18-24)were not confident to come forward and access services or help. Need for informal support servicesChallenges to providing support The absence of informal support (i.e. somewhere Alongside the limitations to the current support to ‘have a chat’) in a landscape where formal landscape above, experts additionally identified services were seen to dominate, was also a three key challenges facing service and support barrier to tackling loneliness. Mental health providers in the current climate: sustainability organisations, GP services and support from of solutions; limited funding and resources for organisations such as The Samaritans were solutions; and identification of individuals in seen as ‘too serious’ as gateways to seeking out need of support. support and served to make people across the research feel ‘uncomfortable’ or ‘awkward’. This was tied to concerns about feeling ‘like a burden’ Creating sustainable solutions and feeling that loneliness is a low-awareness or A key barrier to accessing support was providing even potentially a stigmatised issue.sustainable solutions which fitted around the busy schedules of those experiencing loneliness, “It’s diicult to access help through your doctor and as a male I don’t always want or enticing individuals to use services frequently to go down this route.” when they needed support. Experts thought (Health, Male, Wales, 55-74) that service design would need to focus on creating services which allowed development This emphasises the potential opportunities for opportunities across longer-term programmes. more community-led, peer-centred support in This should present clear, forward-planning for future service design, outside of traditional formal participants and allow for continued, habitual services and support such as GPs and mental engagement, instead of one-off interventions. health service providers to tackle loneliness. “If good long term support can be provided, the country will have healthier happier people who can make a positive contribution to their community and wider society.” (Expert, Across groups) What is the support landscape like for loneliness in the UK? 36