An important new government initiative has been set up to enable Islanders to have their say on local health and social care services.  The Isle of Wight LINk (Local Involvement Network) has been established in accordance with Part 14 of the Local Government and Public Involvement Health Act 2007 with the objective of providing everyone with the chance to become involved in local health and social care. The Isle of Wight LINk is inclusive and empowers everyone to share their experiences, good and bad, and importantly gives those who may have felt disempowered in the past the chance to express their opinions and views.

Local people can have their say and make a real difference by becoming involved to get attention and action for neglected issues, express ideas and opinions, help to influence those who make decision about new or existing services and help the local community to speak with a louder voice. The Isle of Wight LINk needs local people to become involved to help improve health and social care on the Isle of Wight. 

LINks provides everyone with the opportunity of being heard and being able to help make changes to improve health and social care services on the Isle of Wight (the LINk considers issues affecting all ages for health, but only 18+ for social care).  A LINk is a network of local people and groups whose views are shared with the Stewardship Group (a group of publicly elected volunteers) who will tell the local authority and the NHS what it has discovered and make recommendations for changes to be made within health and social care.

Isle of Wight LINk is led by the currently elected Stewardship Group comprised of a diverse group of volunteers, with 15 members.  All issues raised by groups or individuals are reviewed by the Stewardship Group who use Governance Guidelines which provide essential tools to ensure that issues are reviewed within an agreed and rigorous framework.  This could be issues ranging from raising health and social care issues that affect them directly or simply highlighting a lack of essential local health and social care services.  The Stewardship Group look at issues raised and then present the findings and make recommendations to the NHS and IOW Council, who are then legally obliged under law to respond to these matters. 

Isle of Wight LINk has far-reaching potential to make a real difference. 
We would like to encourage all local residents to share their views and opinions on social and health care on the Isle of Wight.   

Your local Isle of Wight LINk (Local Involvement Network) wants to know about your experience of health and social care on the Island so that we can raise the issues that are important to you with the people that plan and provide services. The LINk have put together a short questionnaire with some topics listed for your consideration to get you started but contact us with any comment you wish to make.

Please find a printable version (PDF) of the Isle of Wight LINk Consultation Questionnaire by clicking here.
http://www.makesachange.org.uk/cms/site/docs/Isle%20of%20Wight/Isle%20of%20Wight%20LINk%20Consultation%20Document/Consultation_Final.pdf

Or if preferred, please spend a few minutes to complete the survey online: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J6FWX6K

All printed off Questionnaires can be posted to our FREEPOST address below.

There are several easy ways to contact the Isle of Wight LINk:


By Telephone: 0300 111 0102 (Charity line charged at local rates)

By Post:
FREEPOST Address:
RSAC-KLKC-GGHL
Isle of Wight LINk
Suite 2
30 Quay Street
Newport
Isle of Wight
PO30 5BA


By Email: [email protected]


By visiting our website:
www.makesachange.org.uk