Natioanal Association of LINks Members (NALM) website, click here
An interim report on the start-up and development of Local Involvement Networks (LINks)
A study by the National Association of LINks Members (NALM) released on Thursday 16th October 2008 has revealed major problems with the Government's new system to monitor health and social care.
LINks – ‘Local Involvement Networks’ replaced Patient’s Forum on April 1st 2008 as the public’s voice on health and social care. They monitor care from the patient’s perspective and are funded through local authorities.
The Report reveals the government has broken its promise that monitoring of hospitals, clinics and care services would continue after the abolition of Forums, and that activities during the transitional period have been bureaucratic - not patient-centre - leaving patients with no independent voice
Highly experienced would-be LINk members have drifted away during transition, because the local focus on patient care was lost. Many volunteers could only continue monitoring activities out of their own pocket and received no expenses – leaving the unwaged, the chronic sick and other and vulnerable people excluded.
NALM discovered that some local authorities retained large fees from tiny LINks budgets to cover their own costs. Haringey took £64,900 from a 3-year budget of £514k, Sefton £52,934 out of £513K and
The decision by Government and Audit Commission not to audit the establishment of LINks also causes NALM concern. “There is neither the intention nor any mechanism for the DH to monitor the finances and development of the LINks system”, says NALM Chair, Malcolm Alexander
NALM believes it’s a scandal that Government won’t provide LINKs members with state-backed indemnity against injury or being sued for making public statements, which NHS or local authorities hold is against their interests. Indemnity is essential to ensure effectiveness and independence of LINks volunteers.
To view the NALM Report, click here
To visit the Natioanal Association of LINks Members (NALM) website, click here
National Association of LINks Members (NALM) Newsletters:
NALM August/September Newsletter, click here
NALM Membership form, click here
An association of people who are active, experienced and expert in patient and public involvement and are members or will be members of Local Involvement Networks (LINks)
The National Association of LINks Members (NALM) was formed on 1 April 2008 to bring together people experienced, expert and active in patient and public involvement. Prior to 1 April our primary role had been to lobby the Government during the passage of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill. We are building NALM as a national organisation of members that will continue in a lobbying and advisory capacity as LINks are formed. We are committed to highly effective local community involvement and accountability in health and social care services. To achieve this we want to ensure that a significant number of the 5,000 trained and experienced volunteers who have been members of Forums over the past few years move into the new system and have a real impact on its effectiveness. We believe that through effective strategic collaborations it would be possible to create a significant advance in public involvement in public services and in the short- to medium-term deal more effectively with issues like the Darzi review of the NHS (Our NHS, Our Future).
We are committed to developing effective local, regional and national democratic structures for LINks, which would create the capacity at regional and national level to influence health and social care policy.
The aims of NALM are to:
1. Provide a national voice for LINKs’ members;
2. Promote public involvement that leads to real change and the ability to
influence key decisions about how care services are planned and run;
3. Promote the capacity and effectiveness of LINks’ members to monitor and
influence services at a local, regional and national level and to give people a
genuine voice in their health and social care services;
4. Support the capacity of communities to be involved and engage
in consultations about changes to services, influence key decisions about
health and social services and hold those services to account;
5. Support the involvement of people whose voices are not currently being heard;
6. Promote open and transparent communication between communities across
the country and the health service;
7. Promote accountability in the NHS and social care to patients and the public
NALM approach is to:
Harness the expertise and knowledge of all those people who have the skills and
knowledge to monitor their local NHS and social care services by creating effective
local LINks:
Put LINk members in touch with each other
Air, share, compare: we provide the forum for views, concerns
Some of Our Achievements:
Our members were instrumental in working with the Commons and Lords to
get significant amendments to the Local Government and Public Involvement
in Health Bill especially concerning monitoring care services, transitional
arrangements and collaboration between LINks.
Since April 1st NALM has been a vital source of information and advice for
NALM members across the country about the development of LINks system
and interpretation of guidance and legislation. We connect LINks members
allowing for airing, sharing and comparing of local LINks developments.
Monitoring development of new system, which has included Freedom of
Information requests to all local authority with social services responsibilities.
Working with the Healthcare Commission to develop an opportunity for
LINks’ members to contribute to the Annual Health Check
Working with NICE to involve LINks’ members in the development and
implementation of NICE guidance
Working with the Department of Health, MPs, Peers, Local Government
Association and many public and regulatory bodies to develop and promote
effective users involvement in health and social care, e.g. the National Centre
for Involvement, Centre for Public Scrutiny, General Medical Council,
Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Working with national voluntary sector organisations to develop effective
partnerships with LINks, e.g. National Association of Patients Participation
Groups, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and National Voices.