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- New health and social care watchdog for Herefordshire
New health and social care watchdog for Herefordshire
- By Chief Editor
- Published 14 Apr 2008
- Herefordshire
- Unrated
A new health and social care watchdog with powers to inspect premises is about to be formed in Herefordshire.
Herefordshire Council has just appointed the Carers Federation as the organisation which will set up and help run the Local Involvement Network (LINk)
The LINk replaces the previous Public and Patient Involvement Forums and will, for the first time, be responsible not only for health but also social care and older people’s issues.
It will involve a wide range of Hereford people whose voices are seldom heard - like busy workers, children, people with disabilities, remote rural dwellers and ethnic minorities – to make sure they have their say in how services are run.
The LINk will be able to enter premises and assess services, collect views of service users and expect responses when requests for information are made to committees and organisations.
Established in 1992, the Carers Federation supports carers, and runs programmes for public and patient involvement, for people with mental health issues, those needing counselling support, and those affect
ed by another person’s drug misuse.
The organisation’s first task will be to identify and engage a wide range of LINk members and to support them in addressing Herefordshire’s priority health and social care issues.
“We’re delighted to have been able to appoint the Carers Foundation which has a wealth of relevant experience for carrying out the role,” said Cllr Olwyn Barnett, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for social care adults and health.
“The bringing together of responsibilities to act as watchdog for health, social care and older people’s issues, is welcomed particularly in Herefordshire where the council and the Herefordshire Primary Care Trust are already pioneering closer working relationships.”
First steps towards the new LINk will be to form a steering group, arrange stakeholder meetings to recruit members, determine governance arrangements and decide a work programme.
Public and Patient Involvement Forums ceased operating on 31 March.
Anyone wanting to know more should contact Kath Soanes, LINks Operations Manager, on 07739 237452 or email k.soanes@carersfederation.co.uk.
Herefordshire Council has just appointed the Carers Federation as the organisation which will set up and help run the Local Involvement Network (LINk)
The LINk replaces the previous Public and Patient Involvement Forums and will, for the first time, be responsible not only for health but also social care and older people’s issues.
It will involve a wide range of Hereford people whose voices are seldom heard - like busy workers, children, people with disabilities, remote rural dwellers and ethnic minorities – to make sure they have their say in how services are run.
The LINk will be able to enter premises and assess services, collect views of service users and expect responses when requests for information are made to committees and organisations.
Established in 1992, the Carers Federation supports carers, and runs programmes for public and patient involvement, for people with mental health issues, those needing counselling support, and those affect
The organisation’s first task will be to identify and engage a wide range of LINk members and to support them in addressing Herefordshire’s priority health and social care issues.
“We’re delighted to have been able to appoint the Carers Foundation which has a wealth of relevant experience for carrying out the role,” said Cllr Olwyn Barnett, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for social care adults and health.
“The bringing together of responsibilities to act as watchdog for health, social care and older people’s issues, is welcomed particularly in Herefordshire where the council and the Herefordshire Primary Care Trust are already pioneering closer working relationships.”
First steps towards the new LINk will be to form a steering group, arrange stakeholder meetings to recruit members, determine governance arrangements and decide a work programme.
Public and Patient Involvement Forums ceased operating on 31 March.
Anyone wanting to know more should contact Kath Soanes, LINks Operations Manager, on 07739 237452 or email k.soanes@carersfederation.co.uk.