About Gloucestershire LINk
Gloucestershire LINk is a network of local people, groups and community organisations who want to help shape health and social care services commissioned and provided in Gloucestershire. It is a mechanism for gathering the views of people throughout Gloucestershire’s communities so that these views can be made known to health and social care commissioners and providers. The Gloucestershire LINk aims to be inclusive and will not discriminate on the grounds of the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation. The Gloucestershire LINk has statutory duties and powers and will act in accordance with the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.
Gloucestershire is one of a small number of LINks who benefit from being supported by just one local Host organisation; in this case, Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC). GRCC is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee, established in 1923 and part of a network of 38 Rural Community Councils across England. It is a member of ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England – the national umbrella organisation for RCCs) and SWAN (the South West ACRE Network). GRCC employs 55 staff, four of whom make up the LINk team. Relationships with partners and communities forged over many years are strong and enable Gloucestershire LINk to extend its reach into all sectors of the community. These include rural, urban, those working with excluded and/or disadvantaged groups and others working with emerging groups and individuals. GRCC’s 28 Village Agents and 5 Community Agents enable continuous engagement with the communities of Gloucestershire, and issues relating to older people are fed back regularly to the LINk.