Commentary on Sections Local involvement networks Section 221: Health services and social services: local involvement networks
518.This section imposes a duty on local authorities to make contractual arrangements for the involvement of people in the commissioning, provision and scrutiny of health and social services.
519.Subsection (1) requires each local authority (as defined in section 229) to ensure there are means in place to facilitate the carrying out of the specified activities (listed under subsection (2)). The specified activities are to promote involvement and provide support for the involvement of people in the commissioning, provision and scrutiny of local care services (as defined in subsection (6)). In addition the specified activities will include enabling people to monitor, and review, the commissioning and provision of local care services for the purpose of considering standards of local care and whether and how they could or ought to be improved. The activities also include obtaining the views of people about their needs for, and experiences of, those services and may involve making reports and recommendations to people responsible for commissioning, providing, managing or scrutinising those services about how local care services could be improved.
520.Subsections (4) and (5) provide that the Secretary of State may, by regulations, add to the activities specified in subsection (2) after consulting with such persons as he considers appropriate.