Use Public Consulation to builda really good picture of the NHS:-

Focus on the real issues facing your NHS services - where are the gaps in service and patient/public - are they real or perceived?Avoid spending thousands of pounds to gain the confidence of patients and public- focus on delivering carefully and properly consideredresearch which willbuild knowledge and identify routes to successful communications- either to convince services to changeor to enable clearer messages to be generated to the public and patients about their role or the limitations facing the NHS.

The overallLinks budget can be much more precisely targeted at areasof real difficulty by generating a clear perspective of the issues and the resource limitations. This type of targeting is the key to long term success - by making resources work effectively and cleverly.

Build momentum for your Links programme:-

By building lists of people in the community willing to give feedback to consultations you can:-

*Quickly do 'acid tests' regarding new proposals for NHS services

*Identify more volunteers to help with consulation and audit work

*Involve the community in building awareness of issues and opportunities

*Reach the 'hard to reach' through carer lists and volunteers.