Joy’s on offer to all as wellbeing website launches
NHS-FUNDED SITE AIMS TO BRING USEFUL INFORMATION TOGETHER
A WEBSITE promoting joy was being launched across the city and counties today.
The free health and wellbeing support website, Joy, has been funded by the NHS.
It combines services provided by the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary and community sector in one place.
Joy will offer a range of categories tailored to meet individuals’ needs, including fitness and art classes, carer support, diabetes self-help groups, food banks, counselling and Age UK services.
Rachna Vyas, below, chief operating officer at the NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland, said: “We are delighted to be launching the Joy website today, bringing together support, in a single place, at the touch of a button.
“We particularly want to make it easier for people with the most need to find better help, whether it’s support for their mental health, wanting to be more physically active, or just finding support groups close to where they live.
“Our ambition is that Joy becomes a way that everybody connects, resulting in better mental health and wellbeing across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.”
The Joy website operates on the concept of social prescribing, a method that connects people to a variety of activities, groups and services in their community to meet their practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing.
Backers said this approach is an effective and holistic way of addressing people’s needs, acknowledging that their health and wellbeing are largely influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors.
By adopting social prescribing, Joy aims to provide a more comprehensive and effective support sys tem for the community. As part of the website’s launch, GP practices across the area have also been connected to Joy, making it easier and more effective for them to socially prescribe.
Dr Leslie Borrill, a GP partner at Bridge Street Medical Practice, clinical director of Carillon PCN and Charnwood GP Network, said: “It is fantastic that GP practices are now connected to Joy ahead of this launch.
“It will transform how GPs and our wider team will ensure our patients receive the best care and support when they visit our surgeries.”
The NHS said social prescribing has gained significant traction in recent years.
Approximately one in five patients consults their GP primarily for social issues, including loneliness.
In the UK, 49.63 per cent of adults (26 million people) reported feeling lonely occasionally, sometimes, often or always.
People experiencing loneliness visit their GP more often and have associated health issues such as depression, anxiety, and poor cardiovascular health.