Website of the Department of Health

Local involvement networks (LINks)

Local Involvement Networks (LINks) aim to make it easier for citizens to say what they want from health and social care services, to talk with the people who run them and to hold them to account. Run by local individuals and groups, a LINk is being established in every area in England.

Follow the link below to access LINks guidance, legislation information, LINks bulletins and to learn more about the initiative:

• Local involvement networks (LINks)

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act, introduced in Parliament in December 2006, introduced a number of measures relating to local government and the involvement of local communities. The Act abolished Patients’ Forums and the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health. The Act also introduced Local Involvement Networks (LINks), strengthened the NHS duty to involve and put in place a new NHS duty to report.

• The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

The Health Select Committee inquiry into Patient and Public Involvement in the NHS

On 2 November 2006, the Health Select Committee announced that it would undertake an enquiry into Patient and Public Involvement in the NHS They published their report on 20 April 2007 and the Department published its response to the Health Select Committee's report on 11 June 2007.

• House of Commons Health Committee Patient and Public Involvement in the NHS

The Duty to involve and consult - Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act

Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 (now S242 of the consolidated NHS Act 2006) places a duty on NHS trusts, Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities to make arrangements to involve and consult patients and the public in service planning and operation and in the development of proposals for changes.

• The duty to involve and consult - Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act

Local Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs)

Since January 2003, every local authority with social services responsibilities (150 in all) have had the power to scrutinise local health services. OSCs take on the role of scrutiny of the NHS - not just major changes but the ongoing operation and planning of services.

• Local authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs)

Patient Advice and Liaison Services

The NHS plan announced the committment to establish PALS in every Trust by 2002. All NHS Trusts and Primary care Trusts (PCTs) are responsible for resourcing and developing PALS.

Patient Advice and Liaison  Services (PALS) provide information, advice and support to help patients, families and their carers.

• Patient Advice and Liaison Services

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forums

Patient and Public Involvement Forums were established in 2003 to improve the quality of NHS services by bringing to trusts and PCTs the views and experiences of patients, their carers and families. They were abolished in 2008 and replaced by Local Involvement Networks (LINks).

• Patient and public involvement forums

The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH)

The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health was established 2003 to help support Patient and Public Involvement Forums. The organisation was abolished on 31 March 2008.

• The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH)

Community Health Councils (CHCs)

Set up by the government in 1974, there were 184 CHCs. They were abolished in December 2003 and Patient Forums established thereafter. Their main functions were to monitor local NHS services, raise matters of local public concern with health organisations and advise the public about their local NHS services and help them with complaints.

The functions of CHCs are now carried out within the current set of arrangements for PPI:

• Overview & Scrutiny committees
• Patient Forums
• Patient Advice & Liaison Services
• Independent Complaints Advocacy Services

• Transfer Order in respect of rights and liabilities of Community Health Councils and of property, rights and liabilities of the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales

Key publications

The NHS plan and Shifting the Balance of Power set out a vision of an NHS in which patients have more of a say about how healthcare is provided in their communities. The list of key documents in this section outline the key strategic and policy objectives the Department has undertaken to secure a truly patient led NHS.

• Patient and public involvement: key publications