The Care Quality Commission (CQC) describes York as “performing well” in adult services (Praise for council care services, The Press, December 3).

Bill Hodson, director of housing and adult social services at City of York Council, is rightly pleased at the improvement made in services for “vulnerable adults” and congratulations are due to the social workers and support staff who work so hard to achieve this.

However, the term “vulnerable adult” has a very specific meaning in this context – people who are acutely at risk because of their particular circumstances. Most people receiving care from the council do not come into this category, and their situation continues to give concern.

Until his death a month ago, my father was receiving homecare from one of the agencies under contract to the council. Some individual carers were kind and efficient, but the agency’s organisation was poor.

Many carers themselves were frustrated and upset by the agency’s failings, and my father suffered considerable distress as a result of both chronic staff shortages and bad management.

Continued complaints to both the agency and the council produced further promises but no results. I know my father’s situation was not unique.

Shortages of agency staff may result in rushed visits and a “like it or lump it” situation for elderly people. The most important cost of this is the human one, but there is a financial one as well. Failure to provide good quality, relatively low-level care at an early stage may turn someone into a “vulnerable adult” needing more intensive, and expensive, input.

I am grateful to the social workers and experienced carers who worked so hard for my father, but shortcomings in the organisation and management of the care system let him down, as they have so many others.

I hope council managers and elected members will not be lulled into a false sense of security by the CQC report.

Jane Roberts, Irwin Avenue, Heworth, York.

• Kathy Clark, interim assistant director in housing and adult social services, said: “It is essential that we know when those we support feel that the service they are receiving is not of a good quality, so we are pleased to hear that Ms Roberts was able to raise this with our social workers and that our staff worked hard to help her father.

“The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rates, released this week, were specifically looking at how the council delivers its social care responsibilities in York and do not reflect a judgement on the whole of the care providers within the city.

“The CQC rate individual care providers separately, and although York has a number of good quality care providers, we know that there are some providers that need improvement. Where we know there are problems we work to encourage and help care providers make those improvements . We do regularly ask customers about their satisfaction with services and where there are problems we will take action.

“Hopefully the CQC rating will assure residents that the council does take issues about customer safety and well-being seriously and that we have good systems in place to to respond to issues.”