History of LINks

Until now, one of the ways the NHS has listened to patients has been through Patients’ Forums. Attached to local Trusts, Forums helped to improve frontline health care, but changes in the way that the NHS is structured and the increasing integration of health and social care mean that new ways of involving people are  needed. In July 2006, the Department of Health published plans to strengthen the ability for local communities to influence the care they get through Local Involvement Networks (LINks)

The Hampshire LINk is part of the local accountability and scrutiny arrangements and will have powers requiring health and social care managers to respond to them. It will also be able to refer matters to Overview and Scrutiny Committees in councils that have social care responsibilities.

Hampshire LINk has been set up to:

• build on the work of Forums but they will be open to anyone to join.

• cover all publicly funded health and social care services in an area, no matter who provides them

• make it easier for communities to say what they want

• talk with the people who plan and run healthcare and social care services.