The Council's role during its formative years clearly pointed to a need for:

• More information for the public on many aspects of their health and social services
• More opportunity for people to pursue complaints against health and social services organisations - and to seek redress and
• More influence for the public over the planning and provision of their health and social services.

By 1997, the Council had made substantial headway in its drive to offer people more information on their care services and complaints processes. However, the next, most logical - and most challenging step - was to develop new ways of giving people a bigger and more effective say over their health and social services. The pursuit of this objective was to be the prime focus of the Council's work in both this year - and in the next three that followed.

The development of a culture that allows for more public participation on health and social services is a process that continues until the present day. Four years ago, this had its tentative beginnings in a number of initiatives undertaken by the Council. These included:

• The development of Practice Charters and Patient Participation Groups among a number of local GP practices. These gave patients a greater say over the services available from their local surgery - and set out minimum standards that patients could expect from their doctor and surgery staff.
• The setting up of a special forum to represent the interests of the parents and carers of children receiving care at Forest Lodge, a facility for people with a learning disability.
• A public meeting to help local people formulate their views on a government consultation on the costs of non-residential care.
• More direct influence for the Council in the business of the Eastern Health and Social Services Board through its involvement in special monthly meetings or 'workshops' aimed at developing policy on all services.