Local people should shape local services
| Published: 28th August 2008 15:02 |
People in Somerset will have more opportunity to influence how health and social care services are run in their local area, now that Somerset County Council has helped to set up a Local Involvement Network (LINk) for the County.
The LINk will be a network of people that help to shape these services according to the issues that face their communities. It will be totally independent from the NHS Trusts and Councils, and will be formed and run by local people. Involving everyone in the community, the LINk will listen and communicate with anyone who wishes to share their experiences of health and social care services and it will have the power to publish and use findings to tackle issues and concerns.
Somerset County Council has appointed Help and Care, a charity that has worked with communities for over 22 years, to host the LINk. Help and Care will provide support ensuring that the LINk has the information it needs to run the group effectively and the advice that will help them recommend changes to improve services.
People involved in the LINk can choose a number of different ways to gauge public opinion from meetings and focus groups to online questionnaires and voting on mobiles.
Mark Sharman: "We want as many people as possible to be involved, any person of any age, sex, nationality or profession is welcome, everyone's opinion counts."
Mark Sharman from Help and Care said: "The LINk has the potential to be extremely powerful. Members of the LINk are free to choose how they wish to use their findings, whether it's sending them to a local or national paper, publishing them on a website or presenting them to the NHS and Social Services and asking for action."
Help and Care are organising a series of information events across Somerset during October. These events present an opportunity to find out more about the LINk and to join in discussions on how it might be established, developed and make decisions. If you would like to become involved with the Somerset LINk, register an interest in attending an event or to find out more, contact Help and Care on 0300 111 0102 or visit: the Help and Care website
See also: Residents over 50 given opportunity to shape the future of West Somerset
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