Minutes 110209

							                          Northamptonshire LINk
                          Implementation Board
             Meeting 11th February 2009 - The Guildhall Northampton.

Present:
Rita Hinde; Moya McVicar; Marion Minney; Lena Davis; Sheila White; Liam Condron;
Sandra Bell; Susan Chamberlain; Des Savage; Ian Topp; Jamila Amar; Jim
O’Rourke; Priscilla Brown; Magie Lonergan (NCC)
Cynthia Wolstenholme (CW) (LINk); Bridget Gibson (BG) (LINk); David Ward (DW)
(LINk); Rod Collier (RC) (LINk).

Apologies:
Mark Major; Rosemary Van Der Meer.

                                                                              Action
  1.    Welcome.

        Cynthia Wolstenholme opened the meeting by welcoming those
        present.

        She invited attendees to give a brief outline of their background
        and the skills etc that they brought to the Implementation Board,
        this included members of the LINk Project Team.

  2     Local Involvement Network (LINk) background.

        Outlined the background to LINk, and the fact that it was a new
        system, replacing the PPI forums which have been abolished in
        April 2008.
        Each Local Authority, providing health and social care had been
        required to establish LINks, and had been provided with funding
        for the next three years. NCC had been awarded the contract.
        The NCC had acted as a temporary host, until the NVC had been
        appointed as HOST, following a tender process.. NVC had signed
        the contract in October 2008.
        Two stakeholder days had been setup which resulted in approx
        200 people showing an interest, in differing areas of health and
        social care. These names had now populated a database for
        further use.

        CW emphasised that LINk is an independent network that will
        supports the public voice in health and social care services in the
        community.

  3     Northamptonshire LINK – Terms of Reference and
        Governance Structure.

        DW circulated a document entitled ‘Terms of Reference for
        Implementation Board. He outlined the content of this document .

        A Chair for these meetings will need to be appointed by the
        Board, either at the end of the 2nd or 3rd meeting.

        There was discussion regarding both NGH and KGH LINk
    Groups, which had been asked to continue their work, during the
    interim period when the NCC was acting HOST.

    It was agreed that these two groups should continue, although
    some members expressed concern that they could not approve
    the continuation without some knowledge of the work undertaken
    by these two groups. CW to prepare a brief summary of the work          CW
    undertaken by these Groups, which will be emailed to members
    prior to the meeting.

    There was a discussion on what can and cannot be agreed by the
    Implementation Board, as to courses of action and agreed
    procedure. The Implementation Board exists for a period of 6
    months, when the LINk Board will be constituted. In the meantime
    the Implementation Board will need to agree procedures at the
    next meeting, using the handouts provided as a basis for
    discussion.

    It was acknowledged that there was a degree of uncertainty felt
    by groups as to the future of their work.

    DW provided documents for the Implementation Board to take
    away and to look at prior to the next meeting, where the agenda
    will include Structure and Governance.

6   Future Meetings

    The next meeting is set for 20th Feb, The Holding Room
    10-30a.m.

    It was agreed that RC would email all members requesting
    available dates for March 09 (1st two weeks ). Members accepted
    that it was inevitable that there would be difficulty in arranging       RC
    meetings where everyone would be available.                            (Done)
    At the 20th Feb meeting it may be possible to identify dates for the
    next few months. Members were also invited to consider venues.

    RC to prepare a list of members contact details for circulation to
    members, along with a ‘pen portrait’ of themselves to be                RC
    circulated in paper/email format.

    Members also asked that where large documents were to be sent
    out, that these should be in paper format, rather than email.


    Meeting concluded at 12-30pm.