Hopefully you will recently have received a letter from the LINk about elections to the Board.

The move from LINk to Local Healthwatch will not now take place until April 2013, meaning that the LINk needs to elect a new Board from amongst its members, to oversee this transition and to ensure that the work of the LINk continues in the interim.

The LINk is a volunteer-led organisation, and relies on the hard work and expertise of volunteers like you.

The Board is made up of elected individuals, organisations and community groups reflecting the diversity of Wirral. It leads on the work of the LINk and it is vital that it represents the population and needs of Wirral’s residents as far as possible.

Members of the LINk Board will need to be able to commit to 3-4 hours per week and attend monthly meetings.

There will be seven places for organisations on the Board, which will be voted for by organisations who are members of the LINk.

There will be fourteen places for

individuals on the Board which will be voted for by individuals who are registered as members of the LINk. The 14 individual places will be based on 14 key areas of interest as detailed on the nomination form. Candidates for Individual Membership of the Board are asked to select only one area of interest (see box, right)

To ensure independence and to reduce potential conflict of interest, the following exclusions apply to membership of the LINk Board: Governors of Foundation Trusts; Wirral Borough Councillors; individuals or organisations who are directly involved in purchasing/providing health or social care services.

As soon as nominations have been received, and if there is more than one person nominated in any category, LINk members will be sent a ballot form to vote for which candidate they would like to represent them.

If you haven’t received a nomination form and would like to stand for election, please contact the LINk Support Team. You can also get in touch with us if you’d like to have an informal discussion about being on the Board.

The LINk Board needs volunteers who represent:Children & Young PeopleOlder PeopleBlack & Racial MinorityFaithAdvice ServicesFamily ServicesGenderGay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Drugs & AlcoholHousing & Regeneration & HomelessnessMental HealthPhysical Health/DisabilityHealth Support & Well BeingCarers

KEY DATESNominations09/03/2012

Ballot starts15/03/2012

Ballot closes12/04/2012(at noon)

Results13/04/2012

Issue 13

Upcoming events

BOARD ELECTIONS NOW UNDERWAYBy the LINk Support Team

At the end of February the LINk put on a coffee morning in partnership with NHS Wirral to update LINk members and the public on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and the Joint Health & Wellbeing Strategy.

Held at St Saviour’s in Oxton, the event outlined how Wirral Shadow Health & Wellbeing Board is planning to produce its first draft Joint Health & Wellbeing Strategy for summer 2012. The Board will be helped to set its priorities for the strategy through the review of the key issues in Wirral’s JSNA (Joint Strategic Needs Assessment). This review will happen over the next 3 months, cover a wide variety of people and seek to collect

the views, thoughts and ideas from Wirral residents and local organisations. Comments are still welcomed, and can be fed back via the LINk Support Team or directly to NHS Wirral.

You can find out more about the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, and how you can contribute, by visiting info.wirral.nhs.uk. The slides of the presentation are available on the LINk website.

JSNA Coffee Morning Held

L I N K E D U P N E W SMarch 2012 “Growing Stronger Communities - by joining together, many whispers become one voice”

Attendees at a LINk coffee morning

By the LINk Support TeamA chance for you to contribute to Treatment Planning with the Drug and Alcohol Action Team - Friday 9th March, Phoenix Futures, Bidston, 10amPlease book a place via the LINk Support Team

Wirral University Teaching Hospital Equality Engagement Event - Wednesday 14th March, Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, 2pmPlease book a place via the LINk Support Team

LINk members may remember a brainstorming / workplan session that was held in November last year at Birkenhead Park. At this session members were invited to highlight the issues and topics that they think should be looked at by the LINk

21 issues were raised by the 18 members who attended. 5 members expressed an interest in discussing their issues for inclusion in the future workplan for LINk. All members were asked to put their names against issues that they would like to be involved in.

The issues raised on the day are shown in the box to the right. These have subsequently been discussed and assigned to the relevent working group or sub-group for further action.

A new sub-group, called Community Care, is to be set up to handle any outstanding issues - more details will be sent to members shortly

Page 2

Wirral Local Involvement Network (LINk) c/o VCA Wirral, 220-224 Liscard Road, Liscard, Wallasey, CH44 5TNTel: 0151 203 2111Fax: 0151 666 5300Email: info@linkwirral.org.ukwww.linkwirral.org.uk

LINk Support Team Karen Prior, LINk Manager Ext. 203Elaine Evans, LINk Support Officer Ext. 211Phil Davies, LINk Comms & Information Officer Ext. 207Lisa Phillips, LINk Admin Support Officer Ext. 209

To contact LINk staff call 0151 203 2111 (+ Ext)Office Hours 9.00am - 4.30pm

March 2012LINKED UP NEWS

Editor & design: Phil DaviesTo subscribe or change your contact details, phone 0151 203 2111

LINKED UP NEWS is published on behalf of Wirral LINk by VCA Wirral, 220-224 Liscard Road, Liscard, Wallasey, CH44 5TN

Copyright © 2012 Wirral Local Involvement Network (LINk)Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this newsletter is accurate, but we cannot guarantee accuracy and our articles do not constitute legal or professional advice. Opinions expressed in the newsletter are not always to be taken as expressing the opinions of Wirral LINk or VCA Wirral. Advertisements, products or services listed are not necessarily recommended by Wirral LINk or VCA Wirral.

Contact Details

• Homelessness review• Heal thwatch England

membership consultation• Cheshire and Merseyside

Vascular Review• NICE Consultation on QOF

indicators• Duty of Candour consultation

• More consultation events for Vascular Review

• Public engagement and health and wellbeing boards

• Be a part of the DH’s young people’s social marketing strategy

• Dignity in Care Survey Figures Released

• The LINk and Dignity in Care

• Patient Opinion: Arrowe Park http://www.patientopinion.org.uk/opinions/60901

• Guardian - CQC Chief Exec resigns

• NHS reforms: medical leaders demand publication of risk assessment

Follow the LINk on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LINkWirral

Heswall Centre is a day support service offering a wide range of supported activities. The service is supported by Heswall Centre Parents and Friends Association, a charity that exists solely to support the service with fundraising and guidance.The centre is always keen to hear from anyone who can help them out or needs support - please contact Debbie, Colin or Zeb on 0151 342 6402

The NHS is planning to make changes to the way vascular services are provided in Merseyside. The rationale given for this is to to save lives and improve patient outcomes in every part of Cheshire and Merseyside. Vascular services are for people with disorders of the arteries and veins, including narrowing of arteries, blocked vessels and varicose veins, (but not diseases of the heart and vessels in the chest).

It has been recommended that

there should be two specialist arterial centres for Cheshire and Merseyside. One will be based at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, working in a network with hospitals north of the Mersey, and one proposed for the Countess of Chester hospital, working with hospitals south of the Mersey.

For Wirral, this means that certain services will move from Arrowe Park to a ‘Centre of Excellence’ at the Countess of Chester.

To make sure that as many as people as possible get to have

their say on these changes, more consultation events have been arranged on the Wirral:

• Friday 9th March, 6pm - 7pm at the Lauries Centre, Birkenhead

• Monday 12th March, 4pm - 7pm at Hoylake Community Centre

• Wednesday14th March, 4pm - 7pm at Bebington Civic Centre

• Friday 30th March, 4pm - 7pm at Wallasey Town Hall

For more information, visit vascularconsultation.org.uk

Workplan day feedbackConsultations on linkwirral.org.uk

Recent news from linkwirral.org.uk

Recent Tweets!

Heswall Centre

More events for Vascular Services Consultation

By the LINk Support TeamBy the LINk Support Team

By the LINk Support Team

By the LINk Support Team

By the LINk Support Team

• Communications• Home Care (Care in the

Community)• Domicilliary Care

Monitoring, Care of disabled in hospital, home , community

• Protection of Whistleblowers

• Care Homes• Care of patients in

hospitals• New PCT Buildings• A&E waiting times• Acute Trust change of

premises• Generic Prescribing• Mens Health• Engaging views in

services (consultation)

• Enter and View GP services, wards other areas

• Stop smoking campaign, Smoke Free Wirral Project

• Safeguarding Vulnerable People

• Call system at Walk in Centre

• Look at Outpatients Cancellations

• Waiting time for GP appointments

• Hospital complaints• Teenage Pregnancy and

Family Parenting• Young people using

cocaine and alcohol

Issues Raised:

By Diane Hill, LINk Chair