Essex & Southend Local Involvement Network (LINk) –for better social and health care in Essex and Southend. |
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Essex & Southend Local Involvement Network (LINk)
The community voice for better social and health care in Essex and Southend.
LINk stands for Local Involvement Network – a network of individuals, groups and communities, who want to work together to improve local health and social care services.
Our LINk covers all of the provinces of Essex County Council (ECC) and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council (SBC). You are a member of/participant in the Essex & Southend LINk if you are a citizen of those local authorities or a user of health and social care services within those boundaries.
The Essex & Southend LINk got started at a well attended public countywide meeting on Saturday 28 June 2008 held at Chelmsford Football Club. People came from all parts of Essex & Southend to make the key decisions to enable this new organisation to improve the health and well being of people throughout the area.
What does the LINk do?
The Essex & Southend LINk gives its members/participants speak with a strong, influential, local voice by:
- Supporting people to say what they think of local health and social care services, what is good and what needs improving.
- Giving people the chance to suggest ideas to health and social care professionals which may improve services.
- Training people to carry out checks, when necessary, to see if services are working well, and
- Getting attention for neglected issues and ideas.
NB The LINk deals with policy and general issues. It does not and cannot deal with individual complaints.
Why should I get involved?
- Were you happy with the treatment and service you received last time you saw your GP, went to a hospital or received any sort of health care?
- Are you happy with social care services you, your family and friends receive?
- Have you, your family or friends got some or many health and/or social care needs?
- What difficulties do you experience or know about to do with health and social care services? What would make these things easier?
- Then you can contribute to the work of the LINk, make a difference and help us improve our health and social care services.
Who can be involved?
Anyone and any group can take a small, medium or large part in the LINk’s activities, including: individuals, service user and carer groups, youth groups, older people’s groups, advocacy groups, faith groups, patients’ groups, minority ethnic groups, tenants groups, foundation trust governors, charities, voluntary groups, community groups, patients’ groups, business federations, and others.
Participants will have different interests and abilities to take part in the work of the LINk. This is alright. Some people will have wide interests and quite a lot of time and energy to offer. Others may have specific interests and very little or no time available. Whatever your situation and views, YOU are an equal participant!
Who does the work?
The LINk is supported by what’s called its ‘Host Organisation’ and that is CEMVO which provides the staff, organisation and resources.
Who pays?
The LINk is established in law by the Government. The Government gives grants to the local authorities who have the duty to ensure there is a LINk. So ECC and SBC contract with the Host – CEMVO – and provide the finance. ECC and SBC oversee the performance of the LINk but do not play a part in its day to day operations and activities.
Who makes decisions and how?
LINk participants make the decisions, which must be made in public meetings. Sometimes there are countywide (when we say ‘countywide’ we mean and include all of ECC and SBC) public meetings. There are five Locality Groups for North East Essex, Mid Essex, South East Essex, West Essex and South West Essex, which meet regularly in public. In due course, we expect to form some issue and theme groups. There is an elected countywide coordinating group of fourteen people whose job is to coordinate things and oversee the administration of the LINk; this group does not make decisions but works with the mandates given to it by public meetings of the LINk, countywide, in Localities, and with Themes and Issues.
Finding out more
If you would like to register to receive regular information about the LINk’s activities and meetings please complete the attached form and return it to your local LINk (shown below).
More information about your local LINk can be found by reading the attached Essex & Southend LINk Newsletters:
Essex & Southend LINk Newsletter, issue one (November 2008)
Essex & Southend LINk Newsletter, issue two (January 2009)
The booklet "Local Involvement Networks (LINks) explained"
And the South East Essex Locality LINk annual report. The report provides a comprehensive record of the activities of the locality for the 2008-2009 period.
Also keep an eye on Healthy Life Essex wellbeing events pages for forthcoming LINk events
LINk Offices and Contacts |
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| Chelmsford office | 1 Bond Street, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1GD |
| Southend Office | 6 Nelson Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS1 1EF Telephone: 01702 350479 |
| Stratford Office | Boardman House, 64 The Broadway, Stratford, London E15 1NG Telephone: 020 8432 0012 |