LINks (Local Involvement Networks)
LINks - What Are They?
LINks are your Local Involvement Networks for North Yorkshire and York.
A LINk is made up of networks of local people, organisations and groups that want to make Health and Social Care services better. Two LINks have been set up, one for North Yorkshire and one for York. Both LINks provide everyone in the community – individuals, organisations and voluntary groups - with the chance to say what they think about local health and social care services and their experiences of them. Both LINks have been given powers that make it easier for everyone’s voice to be heard and have their views about local services listened to and answered.
What’s happened so far?
York and North Yorkshire Councils awarded contracts to the North Bank Forum (NBF) to act as the host organisation for the new LINks. NBF is a voluntary sector umbrella body and all its member organisations work in health and social care. North Bank Forum employed a staff team to support both LINks, their details are below if you want to know more or to get involved.
The North Yorkshire team:
Alison Rowlands, North Yorkshire LINks Coordinator:
email: alison@northyorkslink.org.uk
tel: 07976 764352
Kathy Donnelly, North Yorkshire LINks Coordinator
email: kathy@northyorkslink.org.uk
tel: 07976 373453
Sarah Harrison, North Yorkshire LINks Research and Information Officer
email: research@northyorkshire.org.uk
tel:01904 621 631
Jen Sutton, North Yorkshire LINks Project Support Officer
email: admin@northyorkslink.org.uk
tel: 01904 621 631
The York Team:
Annie Thompson, York LINks Coordinator
email: annie@yorklink.org.uk
tel: 07971 054829
Helen Patching, York LINks Team Administrator
email: admin@yorklink.org.uk
tel: 01904 621631
Carol Pack, York LINk Research and Information Officer
email: carol@yorklink.org.uk
tel:01904 621 631
Both teams are based at: Holgate Villa, 22 Holgate Road, York YO24 4AB.
What Do The LINks do?
Both LINks are involved with a wide range of issues and carry out a variety of tasks and activities. They:
• Encourage and support people to get involved in shaping local services, by helping to decide how they are commissioned and influencing how they are run. The LINks don’t take over from the groups already working in and for our community, but are a way of bringing people and groups together.
• Actively canvass every section of the community’s views about what they think about their local care services – what is working well and what is not so good.
• Give feedback to those who purchase and provide health and social care services what people have said so that things can change for the better. The LINks are a way of letting the people who buy, deliver and manage local services hear about what is working and what isn’t, as well as suggesting ideas that could make services better.
The LINks also have certain powers to help it improve local services. Legislation means they are able to:
• Make reports and recommendations to providers and get a reply within a set amount of time
• Ask for information and get a reply within a set amount of time
• Go into health and social care services to see what they do
• Tell elected politicians on the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) about what they have found and get a response.
Who can be part of the LINks in York and North Yorkshire?
Groups, individuals and organisations all have a part to play giving their views about local services. The LINk has been set up to make sure that all of the different groups and types of people that make up our local community have lots of different ways to join in. You don’t have to become a ‘member’ of a LINk to have your say, local people are able to choose how and when they want to get involved. Details of how to get involved are available from: admin@northyorkslink.org.uk or admin@yorklink.org.uk
Further details about LINk activities and how to get involved can be found at:
Latest news and information
The latest news and information about the work of both LINks is available from the news pages of this website, copies of the most recent newsletters are available to download below: