Host appointed for Hackney’s first LINk

The community development charity, Social Action for Health, has been appointed to set up and run Hackney’s first Local Involvement Network (LINk), with effect from next month.  The LINk is a new form of public consultation forum which will encourage local people to have their say over health and social care services in their borough.

From September, every local authority will have its own LINk, replacing the former patient and public involvement forums (PPIs).  The task for Social Action for Health will be to create a so-called Host which will carry out four main tasks:

• find out what people think about Hackney’s health and social care services
• present these views to service providers and commissioners
• help to monitor and evaluate care services
• recommend improvements.

Social Action for Health (SAfH) has an established track record of running successful health networks in both Tower Hamlets and Hackney, managing the Hackney Information and Advice Consortium for the past five years, providing a network of primary care mentors (known as “health guides”)  with GPs in Tower Hamlets, and running the borough’s Healthy Living Network between 2002 and 2007.

Communication is the key, argues Elizabeth Bayliss from SAfH: “We will design the LINk so that people can access it, can speak and be heard in a variety of ways using face to face verbal communication, paper-based means through letters and emails, and using IT through Youtube, blogs and the website.”

The contract is worth £620,000 over three years, and was awarded after an open tender process carried out by Team Hackney’s strategic commissioning team, and the transitional LINk.  

The next meeting of the transitional LINk, takes place on Wednesday, August 27 from 2-4pm at City Edge, Morley Hall, 125-7 Mare Street, London E8 3RH.   

If you would like to attend, contact Francis Kaikumba at Hackney Council at: francis.kaikumba@hackney.gov.uk.

Issued by:

Ruth Garland, Communications Adviser, Partnerships, London Borough of Hackney.  Telephone 020 8356 2476 or email ruth.garland@hackney.gov.uk.

02.09.2008