Meeting documents

1. A report was presented to the sub-committee on the 2^nd October 2006 describing the Government’s plans to change the system for involving patients and the public in influencing local health services. This purpose of this report is to update members on progress since then and the future plans for establishing LINks in County Durham.

• The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) will be abolished.
• Patient forums will be replaced by Local Involvement Networks.
• LINks will be established for every local authority area with social services responsibilities.
• LINks will provide flexible ways for individuals, organisations and communities to engage with health and social care organisations in ways that best suit the communities and the people in them. They will build on the best work of patient forums creating a strengthened system of user involvement and will promote public accountability in health and social care through open and transparent communication with commissioners and providers.
• LINks should operate in an inclusive way with a membership that includes user groups, local voluntary and community sector organisations and interested individuals.
• LINks will establish a specific relationship with overview and scrutiny committees (OSC) and have the power to refer matters to the OSC.
• OSCs will be well placed to focus their attention on the work of commissioners of health and social care services and will be able to question commissioners about the decisions they have made.
• The duties on health care organisations to involve and consult will be simplified and strengthened. There will be a new duty placed on health care commissioners to respond to what patients and the public have said.
• Work is being undertaken to explore ways of creating a stronger voice for patients, service uses and members of the public at a national level.
• There will be more user involvement in the regulation of health and social care providers.

4. County Durham has been invited to participate as an ‘early adopter’ area to pilot the new LINks arrangements. This wi County Durham has been invited to participate as an ‘early adopter’ area to pilot the new LINks arrangements. This will mean that Durham will be one of 7 authorities nationally to pilot LINks. This is a real opportunity for Durham to be at the forefront of the new approach

5. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill places a duty on the Local Authority to make contractual arrangements for the involvement of people in the commissioning, provision and scrutiny of health and social services.

6. I attended an event organised by the department of health on the 13th December to look in more detail at the implementation of the new arrangements - ‘Getting Ready for LINks’. The Health Minister Rosie Winterton as well as leading representatives from the Department of Health and the Public and Patient Involvement Forum addressed this event. Everyone was agreed that the transition from PPI to LINks will present numerous challenges but the opportunity to join up the Health and Social Care aspects of involvement and engagement was universally welcomed. Additionally, the importance of the OSC role was well recognised.

7. A steering group has been established to take the early adopters initiative forward. This group includes all the current PPI leads, Health, VCS and DCC staff. Sally Young from the Regional Commission for Public and Patient Involvement (CPPIH) is supporting the process. The next meeting of this group will take place on the 9 ^th January and a stakeholder event to explore the detail is planned to take place on the 2 ^nd March 2007. Ross Cowan from CPPIH has been appointed as the Transition Coordinator.

3. Finance
4. Staffing
5. Equality and diversity
6. Accommodation
7. Crime and disorder
8. Sustainability
9. Human rights
10. Localities and Rurality
11. Young people
12. Consultation
13. Health