Scientists at the University of York and Hull York Medical School have launched a spin-out company to develop cost-effective solutions to the emerging epidemic of loneliness and depression.
Loneliness is known as a 'silent killer' because it increases the risks of life-threatening conditions
Research has shown that loneliness is as bad for health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. In the face of the epidemic of loneliness, the new spinout, ThirdAgeTx, aims to enable research to be more accessible to the NHS, charities, and carers, and is the first mental health spin-out company from the University of York.
The company was founded following the outcomes of a major clinical trial carried out by the research team during the Covid pandemic that showed rapid and enduring improvements in mental health and quality of life when older people received weekly phone calls from a specially trained coach who encouraged them to maintain their social connections and remain active.
Enduring impact
The Behavioural Activation in Social Isolation trial (BASIL+ - trial) that underpins the new company, started within months of the 2020 pandemic and was the largest trial ever undertaken to target and measure loneliness in this way.
It revealed that levels of emotional loneliness fell by 21% over a three-month period and the benefits remained after the weekly phone calls had ceased, suggesting an enduring impact.
Professor Simon Gilbody, Co-founder of ThirdAgeTx, said: "This level of intervention doesn't require highly trained NHS psychologists, which meant that it could be scaled up easily to reach the rapidly increasing demand during some of the most challenging times of the pandemic.
"This issue of course is not isolated to the pandemic years and remains a serious health risk today, but Covid19 certainly gave us an opportunity to test this method to the fullest.
"Loneliness is known as a 'silent killer' because it increases the risks of many different life-threatening conditions such as stroke and dementia. We found that tele-care reaches those that are most vulnerable to loneliness, anxiety and depression, as it can be accessed at home and at a time of convenience."
Scale-up
The team have been selected for prestigious entrepreneur accelerator programmes to support regional growth, and have been identified by InnovateUK as a high growth SME.
They recently received financial support from the Mayor of West Yorkshire as part of her grand challenge to tackle health inequalities and to support growth in Yorkshire. They will scale-up the interventions, working in partnership with Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humberside, as well as the NHS and the care home sector.
Professor Dean McMillan, Co-Founder of ThirdAgeTx, said: "We are excited to see what the next six months brings and how we can translate this research into practical solutions for the NHS and patients, easing the burden of mental health on services, as well as whole families."
