Agenda item

The Board to receive an overview of the Joy Platform.

A representative from Leicester Partnership Trust presented a report on Joy, a digital platform focused on preventative healthcare. It was noted that:

·       Joy was launched in response to the demand for better access to information and local offers. It was now used in approximately 33 regions and served around 19M patients nationwide.

·       The platform came into LLR following the allocation of resources to commission a joint platform by the Mental Health Investment Standard, to be used across Leicester and Leicestershire.

·       There was a multi-sector steering group consisting of the LPT, ICB, UHL and the council, which allowed partners to contribute to how it is rolled out and its accessibility to as many people as possible.

·       The platform had different elements, and the major one was the Joy Marketplace, which was public-facing and hosted adverts for different local activities, which were a combination of commissioned offers and voluntary sector offers, searchable on a location basis.

·       The Joy Connect element allowed GPs and health professionals to access electronic patient records, given the longstanding challenge for GPs to access high-quality information. It allowed referral and signposting easily and found information relevant to the individual's needs.

·       The benefits were numerous, including intervention, more access to support the needs and challenges of users, etc. It fulfilled these needs by collecting background information and insights, including reports and systems that allow a better understanding of issues and offers that match them.

·       The most common needs searched were challenges around mental health, isolation, loneliness, long-term conditions and housing situations.

·       When the system was bought, there were conversations with Joy about due diligence, e.g. policies and procedures. Typically, soft searches were conducted on the registered organisations to gain a thorough understanding of their day-to-day operations.

·       There was a data-sharing agreement with other primary care networks to facilitate the rollout.

·       The local public could get on the marketplace in a self-directed way.

·       913 activities promoted were being promoted through Joy now.

In response to comments, it was noted that:

·       Members agreed that the item should be taken to scrutiny to determine the way forward and that a demonstration session should be arranged for all Members to showcase how to use the Joy Platform.

·       Concerns were raised regarding due diligence processes and how the voluntary and community sector was being managed during times of change, particularly when staff leave. It was noted that a meeting had taken place with officers to feedback concerns relating to this.

·       It was noted that the Joy Platform was a website rather than an app. Local groups were reported to be using it successfully in some areas and finding it very useful at a community level. Members asked how many groups or organisations had signed up to the platform.

·       Officers confirmed that there were currently over 900 activities being promoted, noting that some were repeated based on location. It was explained that the aim was to ensure information was available across all parts of the platform and that work was ongoing to grow the range of offers available.

·       Members commented that it was a great platform with a positive future, particularly as more people were engaging online.

·       It was asked whether there were any future plans for the development of a standalone app. Officers explained that discussions were taking place with the parent company, with a focus on the Joy Connect element of the software and on developing an approved referral process for the clinical system platform. It was acknowledged that the platform did not currently present well on mobile devices and that there were no confirmed dates for further developments, though the issue continued to be raised.

·       It was noted that the NHS App was expected to become increasingly central in the future.

·       The importance of myth-busting was explained and that links to clinical systems were not as straightforward at the primary care end. It was noted that there was potential for rich data to emerge from the platform and that some areas had already used it successfully to produce valuable information for neighbourhood working by identifying themes and trends. The next stage at practice and locality level was expected to be beneficial.

·       The Chair thanked officers for the presentation and suggested that it be shared with the Scrutiny Commission for information. Members discussed how best to take this forward and agreed that an open session should be arranged for all councillors to learn more about the Joy Platform and how to use it, with officers to provide the demonstration.

AGREED:  

1.    That the Board note the report.

2.    The presentation would be shared with the Public Health and Health Integration Scrutiny Commission.

3.    A session for all elected members on the Joy Platform would be arranged.