Islington Council announced the host organisation for the Local Involvement Network (LINk) at a meeting of the Executive on 5 June - it will be Islington Voluntary Action Council (IVAC).<br><br>The network - which replaces the old Islington Patients Forum - has been set up to give service users, carers, patients, voluntary and community groups, and local residents more of a say on health and social care services.<br><br>LINk will meet for the first time on 17 June where its membership and administration will be decided. Everyone is welcome to attend.<br><br>Cllr John Gilbert, Islington Council's Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care said: "Islington's LINk is the new way for local people to have their say about health and social care issues affecting them. This is particularly important as we are a council who listens and acts on feedback from our community.<br><br>"We are delighted to have IVAC confirmed as the host organisation. As a body with enormous local community knowledge they were the right choice to win the contract to deliver the support required to make the LINk work effectively."<br><br>The LINk means that for the first time participation in health and social care is joined up and services are locally accountable with local people given a voice and a chance to affect how their health and social care services are planned and run. <br><br>The LINk will have the power to get information from and make recommendations to those responsible for local services, and to make inspections. It will cover the borough of Islington but it will be run by local people, independent of the council and the NHS.<br><br><br>LINk Event<br>17 June, 6 - 8pm<br>Resource Centre<br>365 Holloway Road<br>N7<br><br>To find out how to reserve a place at this event, go to: www.islington.gov.uk/links or email: links@islington.gov.uk<br><br>ENDS<br><br>
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009