Throughout the last 15 months, Age UK Blackburn with Darwen has worked closely with health and council colleagues to support our most vulnerable older people. This has served to highlight that many people at highest risk of poor health and care outcomes, also have the greatest need for more social connections and are among the most excluded digitally. We therefore propose to design and deliver a new service for the socially isolated who also struggle with technology. The service will combine existing befriending and tech-support volunteers into an integrated single service; both are required simultaneously to deliver the desired outcomes. This integrated approach will support people to become socially connected, whilst also upskilling their technical skills, so they can then sustain these and make other new connections going forward; this will also enable the community to reach out to them. A key part of the service will be the technology platform, bringing together * the best of digital wallet technology, providing security and privacy of clients data and confidence in the identify of volunteers, * alongside volunteer management platforms to access a breadth of volunteers with an algorithm to match to appropriate clients, * An app enabling three roles (AgeUK worker, Volunteers and the client) to collaborate on the clients plan * a comprehensive single directory of all local community services, with an algorithm to match people to appropriate local activities and services. The target benefits are * better support service for clients as they move at their own pace, finding help as required * increasing the number of older people able to make and maintain their own social connections, which inevitably relies nowadays on a degree of digital processes * To therefore reduce the demand on statutory care and health support, firstly as these individuals are supported to remain more socially connected by working with local volunteers (rather than relying on statutory support for this). Secondly, because increased social connectivity may well reduce their future requirement for ongoing health and care intervention. The other impact is that more technically skilled older people can then benefit from wider access to digital health solutions, such as mobile phone apps and slicker digital access and referral processes. Age UK Blackburn with Darwen has secured funding through the Government's Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) to accelerate this ambition. The service will be tested in two phases between April 2022 and January 2024 to provide evidence of the viability and impact.

Throughout the last 15 months, Age UK Blackburn with Darwen has worked closely with health and council colleagues to support our most vulnerable older people. This has served to highlight that many people at highest risk of poor health and care outcomes, also have the greatest need for more social connections and are among the most excluded digitally. We therefore propose to design and deliver a new service for the socially isolated who also struggle with technology. The service will combine existing befriending and tech-support volunteers into an integrated single service; both are required simultaneously to deliver the desired outcomes. This integrated approach will support people to become socially connected, whilst also upskilling their technical skills, so they can then sustain these and make other new connections going forward; this will also enable the community to reach out to them. A key part of the service will be the technology platform, bringing together * the best of digital wallet technology, providing security and privacy of clients data and confidence in the identify of volunteers, * alongside volunteer management platforms to access a breadth of volunteers with an algorithm to match to appropriate clients, * An app enabling three roles (AgeUK worker, Volunteers and the client) to collaborate on the clients plan * a comprehensive single directory of all local community services, with an algorithm to match people to appropriate local activities and services. The target benefits are * better support service for clients as they move at their own pace, finding help as required * increasing the number of older people able to make and maintain their own social connections, which inevitably relies nowadays on a degree of digital processes * To therefore reduce the demand on statutory care and health support, firstly as these individuals are supported to remain more socially connected by working with local volunteers (rather than relying on statutory support for this). Secondly, because increased social connectivity may well reduce their future requirement for ongoing health and care intervention. The other impact is that more technically skilled older people can then benefit from wider access to digital health solutions, such as mobile phone apps and slicker digital access and referral processes. Age UK Blackburn with Darwen has secured funding through the Government's Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) to accelerate this ambition. The service will be tested in two phases between April 2022 and January 2024 to provide evidence of the viability and impact.