Good Neighbours West Sussex - Royal Voluntary Service

The Good Neighbours West Sussex service provides support to older people across West Sussex who are living alone and are socially isolated.

Good Neighbours offer a time-limited intervention of up to 10 weeks, with the aim of helping older people re-engage with their local community and remain active and independent at home. Their support could include:

Helping someone to access/attend a club or group
Accompanying a person on a short walk or outing
Assisting a person to go shopping
Telephone befriending (for up to 10 weeks only)
Some company and a chat from a volunteer (for up to 10 weeks only)

The service aims to increase social contact and improve health and wellbeing, promoting choice and enabling a person to build self-confidence.

The service can also link people with other organisations across West Sussex that provide advice, support and activities.

Good Neighbours West Sussex is funded by West Sussex County Council and is free of charge.

Criteria for accessing the service includes:

People age 65 years and over
People who have been identified as socially isolated or lonely
People who do not have a network of local support nearby
People who are unable to access and attend activities in their local community with support.

The service is volunteer-led and can only offer low-level support for a limited time. It is not suitable for people looking for long-term assistance or for individuals with complex needs, such as advanced dementia. Each referral is discussed on a case-by-case basis.