They replaced the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH)[1] and patient and public involvement forums[2] and existed in every local authority area with a responsibility for NHS health care and social services.
LINks had the power to ask health and care commissioners for information about their services and expect a response within 20 days.
The principle was that "everyone's views matter", including individuals, such as carers, service users, community leaders, patient representatives, health and social care professionals (as long as any conflict of interest are appropriately handled or managed), organisations.
[11] The White Paper proposed the abolition of LINks and the introduction of Local Healthwatch; this was included in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
The intention was to strengthen public influence and involvement in health and social care, as well as to remove the ambiguity of the then-current 'hosting' arrangements.
Originally scheduled for April 2012, but then delayed until April 2013,[12] it was envisaged that local Healthwatch would build upon the existing functions of LINks to include the provision of information and advice to help people make choices about health and care services as well as the possibility of providing an advocacy service for people making a complaint using the NHS complaints process.