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Preventing Loneliness

Talk, Connect, Thrive: Launching Sacana for a More Connected UK

Author

Jane Prentice, Commercial Director

Date Published

Loneliness Is Real. So Is This.

Today, Sacana officially launches across the UK. 

Not as a crisis service. Not as a reactive fix. But as a proactive, preventative offer for organisations and communities ready to do loneliness differently. 

Loneliness is not a new issue, but it’s one we’re only just beginning to understand in terms of its full social, economic, and health consequences. From the workplace to the NHS, it is a root cause hiding in plain sight. 

And it’s costing us. In wellbeing. In workforce retention. In care budgets. In lives. 

That’s where Sacana comes in. 

Structured Connection, Delivered with Heart 

Sacana is a preventative, human-first service that offers structured, stigma-free conversation to people at risk of isolation, particularly older adults, working carers, and those living alone. Delivered via real-time video chat by trained and supported Matrons, Sacana provides a simple but powerful alternative to traditional wellbeing models. 

Not therapy. Not befriending. Not another app. 

Just skilled, professional conversation with real people, designed to build confidence, protect health, and reduce pressure on systems. 

Every conversation is: 

• Moderated and safeguarded 

• Secure and encrypted 

• Delivered with consistency, care and purpose 

This is prevention, not prescription. And it’s built to work at scale. 

A National Challenge, a Human Response 

According to the Scottish Government’s A Connected Scotland strategy, 1 in 10 people in Scotland feel lonely “often” or “always”. In England, ONS data shows chronic loneliness affects around 3.8 million adults. And across the UK, unpaid carers, older people, and isolated employees are most at risk. 

The impact is wide-reaching. Loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 50% (Age UK), raises the likelihood of coronary heart disease (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015), and accelerates cognitive and emotional decline. It also results in 38% of GP appointments being used for non-clinical, social issues (RCGP, 2019), stretching systems already under pressure. 

We built Sacana to change that trajectory. 

By connecting people before isolation turns into crisis, we reduce demand, protect independence, and offer a truly scalable form of wellbeing. 

Built for the Public. Ready for Employers. 

We’ve designed Sacana to serve two sectors simultaneously and intentionally. 

For employers, we offer peace of mind and productivity: a way to support both employees and the people they care for. Whether that’s an NHS team balancing work and care, or a hybrid workforce managing solo days with no social contact, Sacana provides early support that prevents burnout and increases retention. 

For the public sector, we offer structured connection that eases NHS pressure, reduces unnecessary prescriptions, delays care escalation, and supports carers, all through a plug-and-play model ready for immediate call-off procurement. 

This dual focus is deliberate. Because loneliness doesn’t start and stop at work. It doesn’t belong only to older people. And it doesn’t respect the boundaries between sectors. 

It lives in the in-between. That’s where Sacana operates best. 

Prevention You Can See 

We’ve made it measurable so employers, commissioners, and policymakers can see the value. 

• GP visit reduction: A conservative 20% reduction in non-medical GP appointments delivers over £237,000 in avoided costs per 10,000 users 

• Care home delay: Avoiding 6 months of institutional care saves £4.1M for just 200 people (Scottish Care, 2023) 

• Workforce resilience: Supporting working carers can save £1.2M in lost productivity for every 1,000 staff retained (CEBR & Carers UK, 2019) 

Sacana makes these outcomes not only possible, but predictable. 

Our Launch Is Just the Beginning 

We’re live now, with scalable rollout across the UK for councils, NHS boards, care partners and employers. 

But this isn’t just about our service. It’s about what it enables: 

• Conversations that prevent decline. 

• Human interaction that builds emotional resilience. 

• Structured support that keeps people at home, at work, and well. 

We’ve spent years developing, testing, and refining Sacana, aligning with safeguarding standards, cybersecurity, and care frameworks. 

Now, we’re ready to connect. And we’re ready to scale. 

Because no one should be left behind by silence. 


Talk. Connect. Thrive. 

Learn more and join the movement at enquiries@sacana.com

Real Loneliness Prevention
Preventing Loneliness

At Sacana, we don’t just talk about prevention. We deliver it. Through structured, one-to-one human connection.


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