Helping local people improve health and social care services

The Host Team

Alvin Kinch, Team Leader

I began my professional career as a Learning Disability nurse within the London Borough of Haringey as a respite care nurse in a unit for people with mild to severe learning and physical disabilities. During this time I was seconded to the local community health team where it was my duty to assess the health needs of people with learning disabilities whilst also considering the needs of carers and parents.

Since leaving the above I have worked with young people within residential accommodation, as a Connexions Young Person’s Adviser and as a Family Support Co–ordinator. Working with people to forge positive changes in their lives has always been a driving factor in choosing the right jobs. More recently I chose to expand my Community Development experience and managed a regeneration programme small grants scheme for small groups and later worked for Lambeth Voluntary Action Council to advise small groups in setting up, policy and governance production and fundraising.

As the LINk Southwark Team Leader, I am able to use my experience within health, social care and community development to work with LINk Members to enhance their involvement within their community to improve services provided to them and their community.

Jessica Spyropoulos, Involvement Worker

My name is Jessica Spyropoulos and I am the part–time Involvement Worker for LINk Southwark. This role involves meeting a wide range of local people, organisations and community groups to promote awareness of the LINk and the impact that it can have on improving health and social care in the borough. I do this by giving presentations at meetings, holding stalls at libraries, festivals and events, or simply by visiting different groups and talking to their members.

When I’m not doing outreach activities, I am busy researching Healthcare issues for potential Task Groups and contributing to Newsletters and the organisation of LINk Meetings and Training days.

Together with my other part–time job at CH, working for 19 Plus, (an arts and life skills group for adults with learning disabilities), I feel very fortunate to have such a varied working week and to be in a position to work amongst such a diverse spectrum of Southwark’s community.