Devon Local Involvement Network
From April 2008 Local Involvement Networks (LINks) will
replace existing Patient and Public Involvement Forums. LINks are
being
established in order to strengthen and extend the influence
local people have on health and social care services and enable
them
to have a strong voice in how services are planned and run.
Anyone can become involved with the LINk from health and care service
users, voluntary organisations and community groups to individual
members of the public. The Local Involvement Network for Devon
will be supported by EDVSA, on behalf of DACVS, an independent
'host organisation', commissioned by Devon County Council.
About the Devon LINk
The LINk will be a network of local people, organisations and
groups that want to make health and social care services better.
Its membership can include any person or any group, for instance
it might include:
- individuals
- youth
councils
- neighbourhood
renewal networks
- Foundation
Trust governors
- faith
groups
- minority
ethnic groups
- service
user support groups
- older
people's forum
- local
business groups
- patient
transport groups
- carer
groups/network
- patients'
groups
- self-advocacy
groups
- tenants
groups
It will not matter whether services are provided by the NHS, a
local authority, private company, social enterprise or a charity,
as long as they are paid for by public funding they will be covered
by the LINk. This includes, for example, day centres and care homes,
hospitals and GP surgeries, as well as health promotion. What will the LINk do and what are its powers? The job of a LINk is to:
- Give
everyone the chance to say what they think about
their local health and social care services – what's
working well and what's not
- Give
people the chance to check how services are planned and
run
- Feedback
what people have said about services so that things can
change for the better
The LINk will have a range of powers so that they can say how local
services should improve. It will be able to:
- Make
reports and recommendations and get a reply within a set
amount of time
- Ask
for information and get a reply within a set amount of
time
- Go
into some types of services to see what they do
- Tell
elected politicians on an Overview and Scrutiny Committee
what
they have found and get a response
Have your say If you feel passionately about local health and social care services
or have an experience you want to share (good or bad) so that services
can better meet the needs of the people that use them, register
your interest as below. By registering your interest you can be
kept informed from the start; but even if you are not interested
right now you can feed into the LINk at any point in the future
by making contact at that time. How to register your interest Whether you wish to be directly involved, or just kept up to date
with progress, you should register your interest in the Devon Local
Involvement Network (LINk). You can do this:-
Devon LINk
Newholme Volunteer Centre
Northcote Lane
Honiton EX14 1NH
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