Barnet LINk had struggled to get going under the previous hosting arrangements - I think that is fair to say. CommUNITY Barnet took on the hosting in December 2010 and I was contracted to manage the team until the funding situation for 2011/12 became clearer.
We have had some fantastic feedback from members new and old. The local authority seem pleased to have an energetic and engaged LINk, poised to make a real contribution to the shape of health and social care in the borough.
The initial focus was on membership. We inherited a mailing list of 99 people and organisations. By the end of January 2011 this had grown to over 300.
Welcome events encouraged newcomers to sign up - and demonstrated engagement with current issues - the health and social care bill, care homes and one of the local hospitals becoming a foundation trust.
The steering group met monthly - and we brought in expert speakers to help develop the action plan so that the LINk can prepare to become a local HealthWatch in 2012. One action was to engage with GP consortia development. The LINk will be part of the management group, and will also sit on the Health and Wellbeing board. We endorsed proposals for Barnet to become a pathfinder for GP consortia and wrote a supportive letter to accompany the submission. Every GP in the borough was written to, and telephoned, to promote LINk member events - and also to establish whether patients groups were in existence. The LINk offers support to surgeries wanting to set these up - and can now provide a toolkit.
LINk outreach activities included briefings for networks of voluntary and community groups, development and delivery of publicity materials - including postcards, through which any resident can raise an issue and post it for free to the LINk office. LINk ambassador training creates a new route into local communities. Ambassadors will attend community events and gatherings with 2 roles - to promote LINk membership and also to establish what residents views are of the local health and social care services. We are specifically recruiting ambassadors with community language skills - and will provide supporting documentation in these languages.
A formal LINk workplan process was established so that a mandate from the members could be secured before resources are committed to project work, investigations or formal requests for information.
There was a hit and miss approach to meeting representation - and a summary of the roles and responsibilities of meeting reps was agreed and embedded through training.
Regular communication - through weekly e-newsletters and a bi-monthly newsletter - engaged the members and provided context for some of the changes taking place. After a couple of editions these were seen as important communication vehicles that others wanted to use to get their information across to members. A special edition of the newsletter was produced to cover a members event looking at social care in the borough.
Top all this off with an analysis of the best practice from other LINks and we have left Barnet LINk in a good place for developing and contributing in the future. The local authority have made positive statements about working more closely with the LINk, and the LINk are playing a key role in the development of the Barnet JSNA.
A very satisfying assignment - contact me to find out more.
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