Changes to care at home services

Dear Sir,

The changes to the care at home services provided by Cheshire East, described in last week's Chronicle, seem to have been thrust upon providers and customers alike with a minimum of consultation.

It seems that a tendering process was instituted by the council and as a result many current providers lost out to ones further away, meaning clients will lose these carers.

What's more, the new service will start in a few weeks' time and effect very vulnerable clients.

A large part of any care provided to such people is seeing a familiar face regularly and reengaging in a conversation that might go back several years.

I can understand a system where new clients are allocated to these new providers though there must be safeguards for instances when urgent attention is required and the carer lives a distance away.

Otherwise, I can see more use of emergency services, something that is detrimental to the client, the temporary provider and the whole health and care service. - Yours faithfully,

(DR) PETER HIRST

Middlewich.