LINks were supposed to ask people what they like and dislike about NHS care services and
adult social care services and seek ideas from the public to help improve services. They explored specific issues of concern to the community by collecting feedback from local people. LINks could tell those who commission, provide and manage local services what the community thinks and work with commissioners and providers to improve, amend, reconfigure and supplement services. They also had the power to carry out visits to services to see them at work. They sometimes facilitated consultation on new or revised commissioning and provision of services. LINks had the power to ask health and care commissioners for information about their services and expect a response within 20 days. They issued reports and made recommendations about services with the expectation of a response from commissioners. The power to enter certain services and view the care provided was called Enter & View. LINk members had to undergo training in order to carry out this power. LINks could also refer health & social care matters to the local council’s
Overview and Scrutiny Committee if local service providers did not provide a satisfactory response. There was no set structure for a LINk. Funding came from local councils, who were given money by the
Department of Health to finance them. Each LINk was hosted by a "host organisation" of paid staff to set up and support the LINk. The host was accountable to the LINk. LINks were independent of the Government. An example of a host organisation is Voluntary Norfolk, the lead partner of a consortium selected as the host for Norfolk LINk. Anyone wanting to have their say on how health and
social care services are delivered in their area could become a member of a LINk. The principle was that "everyone's views matter", including individuals, such as carers, service users, community leaders, patient representatives, health and social care professionals (as long as any
conflict of interest are appropriately handled or managed), organisations. Certain bodies could not be part of a LINk, these include National Health Service trusts,
NHS foundation trusts,
NHS primary care trusts and
strategic health authorities. LINks were intended to give people a range of ways to get involved, whether this just taking a few minutes to answer a survey or taking more time to train as a representative who visits services to see how they are run. Norfolk LINk's work influencing how
myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) services are planned and delivered in
Norfolk is an example of how LINks practice. ==Heathwatch==