Connecting local people to your services through Joy Marketplace
When Reading Voluntary Action’s Social Prescribers or Community Wellness Outreach team signpost clients to local services, they use an online platform called Joy.
Members of the public can also search Joy Marketplace for services to support their health and wellbeing, or to make recommendations to family and friends.
FAQs
Why list your organisation on Joy Marketplace?
It’s free for Voluntary and Community Organisations to join and gives your organisation visibility to the public, and to health and wellbeing professionals. It can help you reach people who haven’t found you through your usual publicity channels. This can help address health inequalities in Reading, by publicising your services to new and under-represented communities.
In addition, Reading Borough Council and the Integrated Commissioning Board (NHS) are increasingly looking at the Joy online platform to gather information on the demand for local voluntary sector services.
How does it connect services to local people?
People can search by postcode/town name or service type (for example: mental health, befriending, food, employment) and get a list of services close to them.
They click on your service and get information about what you offer, where you are, when you are open, how to contact you, etc. Other people (friends, relatives and health/social care staff) can also signpost local people to you.
You can choose to be open for referrals if your organisation has the capacity to manage them, using the Joy referral form. Or, you can choose to be ‘signpost-only’, where people find out about your service but you won’t receive a referral.
How do we find out more or sign up?
Please email rhiannon.stocking-williams@rva.org.uk to get your organisation listed or if you have any further questions. Rhiannon runs regular 30-minute online information sessions about Joy Marketplace – follow the links the below to book on to one of these:
