The Stockport LINk is your local community run health and social care watchdog. Anybody can join the LINk - you do not need to have any expertise or experience, as long as you have an interest and want a say in how health and social care services are delivered - we want to hear from you!
The LINk will:

• Find out what people like and dislike about health and social care in Stockport.
  We are always here to listen at the LINk Support Office, if you know of a wider health and social care issue in Stockport, let us know. The LINk is proactive in producing questionnaires and feedback forms that are circulated around the Stockport area for a wider balanced view.

• Suggest ideas to help improve these services and consider specific issues of concern to the community.
  Because the LINk is made up of Stockport residents, these issues and the ideas to help tackle them are being formulated by you and people representing you. The LINk wants to hear about your experience of health and/or social care services in Stockport.

• Visit premises in Stockport where care is provided or those providing care to Stockport residents.
  This is called Enter & View, and is undertaken by trained LINk members. Authorised LINk members can visit care premises to view the quality of care, write a report and feed back to both the organisation providing the care and the wider public.

• Work with and influence those who make decisions about new services or existing services to help make them better.
  The LINk has the power to make statutory bodies listen, they are under an obligation to respond to LINk requests and reports within a given amount of time, meaning that the LINk can really make a difference.

• Be flexible, providing many opportunities and different ways in which you can get involved.
  One of the great things about the LINk is that you can be as involved as much or as little as you like. From being a Core Group member, attending meetings, participating in Enter & View, participating in subgroups or you can simply choose to receive the Newsletter or provide us with your feedback. The choice is up to you.

If you would like to let the LINk know about an area in health or social care you feel could be improved, then call 0161 477 8479 or fill in a feedback form and let us know.

• To strengthen communities through supporting individuals and groups to maintain overall health wellbeing and independence.
• To support community cohesion and reduce social exclusion through facilitating and encouraging engagement involvement and participation.
• To provide information, advice, support and advocacy to support individuals and groups to have their voices heard and to maintain their independence.

Pebble Enterprises have been contracted by Stockport Council to set up the Stockport Local Involvement Network (LINk). It is the LINk Support Team at Pebble who will support and promote the LINk and attract membership. The Stockport LINk was launched on October 1st 2008.