Health and social care
LINks
We welcome the introduction of Local Involvement Networks (LINks)
but it is vital that they build on the learning from Patient and
Public Involvement Forums and complement other existing local
activities in health and social care. The work of LINks must be
properly funded, particularly if they are to engage all members of
the community, including those that are seldom heard in policy
making and service design. NAVCA members are well placed to host
LINks as they have a long history of supporting third sector
involvement in health and social care, and of supporting local
communities to engage with statutory agencies.
Social enterprise in health and social care
NAVCA welcomes the Department of Health's interest in supporting
social enterprise in health and social care, and the significant
investment the Department is making in this through the Social
Enterprise Unit (SEU). In addition to its work to stimulate the
creation of new organisations, we would urge the SEU to invest in
enabling existing voluntary and community organisations to grow and
develop new income streams. We also urge the SEU to recognise the
role played by NAVCA's members in supporting the growth of social
enterprise; it is vital that the SEU understands that nurturing
social enterprise is not the sole preserve of technical specialists
and can be an activity undertaken by groups of all shapes and
sizes.
The policy positions on this page have been approved by the NAVCA
Trustee Board.