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| Local Involvement Networks | |
|---|---|
| Name | Local Involvement Networks |
| Formation | 2008 |
| Dissolved | 2013 |
| Jurisdiction | England |
| Preceding | Community Health Councils |
| Superseding | HealthWatch England |
| Headquarters | London |
| Parent organization | Department of Health |
Local Involvement Networks were statutory bodies established in England in 2008 to enable public involvement in National Health Service services and Adult social care. They replaced earlier patient representation mechanisms and operated until their functions were subsumed in 2013 by new arrangements; their creation, remit, and closure involved multiple policy actors, parliamentary instruments, and public bodies.
Local Involvement Networks were created following consultations and legislation led by the Department of Health during the administration of Gordon Brown and under the stewardship of Secretary of State Alan Johnson. The policy drew on debates from the Caldicott Committee to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and intersected with initiatives associated with Dame Jo Williams, Dame Fiona Caldicott, and reports by the King's Fund. Early pilots cited studies from National Audit Office and recommendations from the House of Commons Health Committee. The establishment process involved local authorities, Strategic Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts, and stakeholders including the Royal College of Nursing, British Medical Association, Age UK, Carers Trust, and Citizens Advice.
Each network operated as an independent statutory organisation reporting to the Secretary of State for Health and working alongside Care Quality Commission inspections and Health and Wellbeing Boards. Governance models often mirrored charity governance under the Charities Act 2011 and included boards composed of volunteers appointed through public recruitment processes akin to those used by NHS Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups. Networks liaised with local councils led by elected figures such as leaders of Labour Party, Conservative Party councils, or Liberal Democrat administrations. Accountability lines crossed with Local Government Association, Public Health England, and statutory regulators including Information Commissioner’s Office when handling patient data.
Mandated functions included representing patient and service-user views to commissioners such as Primary Care Trusts and providers like NHS Foundation Trusts, monitoring NHS service changes proposed by bodies including NHS England and responding to consultations by entities such as Monitor (NHS) and the Competition and Markets Authority. Networks conducted engagement activities with service providers including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, and social care providers such as Care Quality Commission-regulated homes. They produced reports, influenced commissioning strategies of St George's Hospital, participated in scrutiny with Local Healthwatch pilots, and worked with advocacy organisations like Mencap, Mind, Scope, and Royal National Institute of Blind People.
Funding was allocated through the Department of Health with budgetary oversight similar to grants managed for bodies such as NHS Confederation projects and commissioning support units. Networks submitted annual reports and accounts comparable to submissions required of NHS Trusts and scrutiny by Public Accounts Committee. Financial flows intersected with local authority budgets managed by bodies like London Councils and grants guidance echoing requirements of the Charities Commission. Audit processes engaged auditors from firms that also audited NHS Foundation Trusts, and whistleblowing or governance failures were subject to inquiries akin to those led by the Francis Inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
Local networks engaged directly with frontline providers including Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Barts Health NHS Trust, and primary care contractors represented by the British Medical Association. They collaborated with national agencies such as NHS Direct, Health Education England, and were involved in locality-level partnerships with Clinical Commissioning Groups and voluntary organisations like St John Ambulance, Samaritans, and British Red Cross. Networks contributed to pathway redesigns involving stroke services at Stroke Association-linked units and mental health services provided by trusts such as South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
Critics from think tanks like Institute for Public Policy Research and Policy Exchange argued networks duplicated functions of bodies including Patient Advice and Liaison Service and former Community Health Councils. Challenges echoed concerns raised by the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee over inconsistent performance, variable public engagement, and limited influence on commissioning decisions by NHS Improvement or Monitor (NHS). Operational difficulties included volunteer capacity issues reported by Volunteering England, data-sharing constraints under guidance from Information Commissioner’s Office, and tensions with local commissioners documented in inquiries influenced by reports such as the Keogh Review.
In 2013 the functions were transferred into a new framework under bodies including Healthwatch England established with oversight by Care Quality Commission, and local successor organisations modelled after structures described by Healthwatch (England). The transition was shaped by legislation such as the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and oversight from parliamentarians on the Commons Health Committee. Legacy debates involved stakeholders like Citizens Advice Bureau, Age Concern, Royal College of General Practitioners, and commentators from The King's Fund and Nuffield Trust assessing impacts on public involvement in services provided by trusts like Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Category:Health in England