The way health and social care service users influence service provision changed on April 1 2008, with the introduction of Local Involvement Networks (LINKs) and their supporting host organisations.
What are LINks?
A LINk is a community-based network of organisations and individuals, independent of any publicly funded organisation, committed to widening the influence of users of health and social care services in the service planning, development and improvement process.

Role of LINks:
LINks cover state funded health or social care service, except children’s social services which are covered by separate arrangements.

The main roles of LINks are:

• to give everyone the chance to say what they think about their local health and social care services, e.g. what is working well and what needs improvement;

• to give people the chance to check how those services are planned and run;

• to provide feedback on what people have said about services.

Main activities of LINks
The main activities of LINks are:

• encouraging and supporting people's involvement in the commissioning, provision and scrutiny of health and social care services;

• enabling people to monitor and review the commissioning and provision of health and social care services;

• obtaining people's views about their needs for and experiences of health and social care services;

• make reports and recommendations about how services can be improved.

Powers of LINks
LINks are able to:

• make reports and recommendations to commissioners and get a reply within a set period of time;

• ask for information of health and social care commissioners and get a reply within a set period of time (Freedom of Information Act requirements apply);

• enter into some types of health and social care premises and view the care provided;

• refer issues to the local Overview and Scrutiny Committee and get a response.

Role of the host organisation
The following is included within the role of the host organisation:

• helping and supporting the LINk in its activities;

• managing the budget for the LINk;

• reporting back to the council on expenditure, activity and achievements of both the host organisation and the LINk;

• providing advice and support to the LINk, including the setting up of governance arrangements and the resolution of disputes;

• ensuring that the LINk enables representatives from all the different communities to have their say and get involved;

• assisting with access to relevant information from the Department of Health, the NHS, the council, voluntary sector organisations, etc;

• enabling the LINk to set a local agenda driven by the priorities and interests of local communities.

We welcome all members of the Hounslow community to become involved.