Enter and View

Enter and View Arrangements

LINks are designed to capture patient voice and experience and to feed that back to local commissioners and providers of services. As part of that role, sometimes it may be necessary to visit premises and talk to patients and service users about the delivery of health or social care services.  Only authorised representatives of LINKs may enter and view premises to undertake defined LINk activities. Usually, such visits are part of a wider line of enquiry, and may have been prompted by information gathered from local service users, patients, their carers or families.

The ‘enter and view’ arrangements also apply to health and social care services provided by the independent sector. The Government has published legally binding directions on commissioners of services to place a duty on those commissioning services to ensure that their contracts with independent providers, made after 1 April 2008, allow for authorised LINk representatives to enter and view, and observe the carrying out of activities in premises, which are owned or controlled by the independent provider.