IMPACT SNAPSHOT: BASIL+ Trial: Preventing Loneliness and Depression in Older People

We created an evidence-based telehealth intervention preventing loneliness in older adults, demonstrating £8 saved for every £1 invested and influencing national policy.

#Analogue to Digital
#Sickness to Prevention
#Hospital to Community

The NIHR ARC Yorkshire and Humber developed and tested a scalable telehealth intervention addressing loneliness in older adults – a condition affecting up to one-third of older people with health impacts equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes daily.

Researchers created a structured behavioural intervention delivered by phone to help isolated older people grow and maintain social networks. The BASIL+ trial became the first and only mental health trial adopted as part of NIHR’s COVID-19 Urgent Public Health programme (selected from 1,600 applications, with only 101 studies chosen).

Impact:
• Rapidly recruited over 500 participants across the UK using NIHR networks.
• Demonstrated prevention of depression and loneliness while improving quality of life.
• Economic analysis shows £8 saved for every £1 invested.
• Targeting a critical need where 40% of care home residents experience chronic loneliness.
• Led to formation of the region’s first mental health spinout (ThirdageTx.com).
• Influenced national policy through Age UK’s 2024 report on loneliness.

The trial’s rapid deployment during COVID-19 demonstrated NIHR infrastructure’s ability to respond to urgent public health needs. The team is now working with Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and West Yorkshire ICB for regional and national implementation.