Table 1 The link officer

ICJ link officers are city council employees, not health care professionals. The council currently employ seven link officers. When they first join the service, link-officers have a 3-month induction period where each officer becomes familiar with their role and completes a range of training. Currently all officers are, or are working towards, being accredited with a Level 3 Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) in healthcare support to reflect their competencies in this area. Level 3 SVQ is a vocational qualification academically equivalent to graduate diploma level, or second year of baccalaureate degree.