What is a Local Involvement Network (LINk)?

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 contains measures designed to update the patient and public involvement system in England. The Act:

• abolished patients’ forums and the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) on 31.03.08
• establishes Local Involvement Networks
• updates and strengthens the duty on NHS bodies to involve and consult

The Act gives local authorities a duty to make contractual arrangements with a host organisation for the establishment of a LINk. The Bill also sets out what a LINks’ role will be.

LINks will

• promote, and support, the involvement of people in the commissioning, provision and scrutiny of local care services;
• enable people to monitor, and review, the commissioning and provision of local care services;
• obtain the views of people about their needs for, and their experiences of, local care services; and make these views known and make reports and recommendations about how local care services might be improved, to persons responsible for commissioning, providing, managing or scrutinising local care services.

For further information please contact:
Charlotte Bonser, Bedfordshire LINk Support Team Lead at Voluntary Action Luton on Tel: 01582 733418 or email: charlotte.bonser@valuton.org.uk

Health Advisory Forum (HAF)

The HAF has completed its work programme. Please click here to download the final report without appendices.