SIR, — It s good to know that pressure from your newspaper and from local politicians has secured the home care package that Mrs Pamela Surridge needs to enable her to return home from hospital (Herts Advertiser, June 12). However this does not address th

SIR, - It's good to know that pressure from your newspaper and from local politicians has secured the home care package that Mrs Pamela Surridge needs to enable her to return home from hospital (Herts Advertiser, June 12). However this does not address the underlying issue which is the shortage of home care workers across Herts and certainly in St Albans.

The policy of supporting people to live safely and comfortably in their own homes is a good one which most people agree with. However it relies on an available workforce. While there are many committed and caring home care workers locally - there are simply not enough of them to ensure a reliable, consistent service for all the people who need it. This means that clients are often kept waiting for visits - which might mean getting up very late or missing a meal - a real problem when taking medication is linked to having some food.

I have raised the issue of capacity within our local home care service with Herts County Council on a number of occasions because of the difficulties with the services that many people are receiving. The recent retendering exercise does not appear to have addressed this issue although it was no doubt financially advantageous.

ROMA MILLS,

St Albans District Council.