What is a LINk?

A LINk, or "Local Involvement Network", is a network of local people, organisations and groups that want to make health and social care services better.  The LINk will:

• Give everyone the chance to say what they think about their local care services - what is working well and what is not so good;
• Give people the chance to check how care services are planned and run;
• Feedback information to the people responsible for commissioning, providing, managing and checking up on health and social care services so that things can change for the better.

The LINk will have certain powers which should make it easier for groups and individuals to be heard:

• Make reports and recommendations;
• 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 (OSC) what they have found and get a response.

The LINk will look at all health and social care services that are funded by the taxpayer, including those provided by:

• Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust (both Wycombe General Hospital and Stoke Mandeville Hospital)
• The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust
• The South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• GP and Community Services
• Buckinghamshire County Council Adult Social Care Services

This will include any services delivered by private companies, social enterprises or charities that have been funded by the organisations above.

Local Involvement Networks are part of a national strategy.  Further information is available from the Department of Health and the NHS Centre for Involvement.