We want you to infuence the future of health and social care involvement in North Lincolnshire
The way health and social care services involve local people and users is changing with the development of Local Involvement Networks (LINks). These LINks replaced Patient and Public Involvement forums (PPIs) in April 2008.
The primary role of a LINk is to provide a stronger voice for local people in the planning, design or redesign, commissioning, and provision of health and social care services. The Government has not prescribed how a LINk should be structured because we believe that LINks should develop flexibly, taking into account local groups and communities, their priorities and particular geographical issues and culture.
Although LINks have flexibility about how they undertake their roles, there are a number of principles that should be common to all. These include:
- being open and inclusive
- being accessible to all, including those with full-time jobs, those who feel excluded and those ho might need support to participate
- reaching out to all communities, looking for and collecting evidence of their views
- recognising that tackling health inequalities, looking at public health issues and addressing the wider determinants of health are central to their role
- a commitment to communicating the information they receive in a constructive way to service planners, commissioners and providers
- always feeding back responses and outcomes to the wider community.
Host organisations
The council was tasked with procuring a host agency to support the LINk before the April start date. Local councils are responsible for appointing the host, and funding will the Department of Health provides funding in the form of a specific grant.
To ensure North Lincolnshire had a host agency in place for April 2008 the council established a steering group to coordinate consultation and engagement processes, feed in information to influence the procurement process and raise awareness across North Lincolnshire of the changes and the process in place.
Each host is contracted to provide support for an initial period of three years. Although it is accountable to the LINk for ensuring that the support provided is appropriate and that it meets the needs of participants, the host is performance managed against the contract by the local council.
Throughout the procurement and contracting process for the host, the council and interested people engaged with local groups. This encourages people already engaged in influencing local care services to help establish and shape the LINk and to begin the process of change that will be necessary to be effective in the new involvement system. Early work included the widest range of people in discussions and used a variety of methods to encourage involvement. It also helped establish the LINk and close up any gaps that might exist when Patient Forums are abolished.
Latest news
Host agency appointed
The council has now appointed a host agency to support the new LINk. Voluntary Action North Lincolnshire (VANL) began working as the host agency on 1 April 2008.
The tight timescales set by the Government in completing this task has left many other local councils with a gap in the provision of involvement for people in health and social care. The council and its partners in the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) worked to ensure this was not the case in North Lincolnshire.
An advertising campaign will beginsoon in North Lincolnshire. 'Who cares... about health and social care in North Lincolnshire' will tell you how to find out more about LINks or get involved in its activities.
Last updated: 22 May 2008.