YOU reported before Christmas about the support care given to Dorothy Bowes.

In the article it was claimed she had not been offered a bath for three weeks, that she had been left alone for 24 hours on one occasion and that several of her visits had been missed.

We were concerned about this report as we take our responsibilities in caring for vulnerable people very seriously. Therefore, a thorough investigation into the claims was undertaken immediately.

The care provider, Carewatch, has confirmed that, contrary to the reports, all the scheduled calls have been made. In particular, it is not true that Mrs Bowes was left unattended for 24 hours and was not offered a bath. This has been verified by council staff by reference to the care log kept in Mrs Bowes' home which records the visits of each carer.

We do accept that some of the visits were not - during the transitional period to the new arrangements introduced in December - as punctual as they should have been. We have apologised to Mrs Bowes for this, but our understanding is that this has now improved since the new arrangements have settled down.

I feel the report has caused unnecessary anxiety for other vulnerable people and their families by suggesting serious failures in the care system. It has also created an unjustly negative picture of home care in York, which undermines the hard work and dedication of the care workers involved.

Bill Hodson, Director of Housing and Adult Social Services, City of York Council.

l I AM aware that the Home Care case of Dorothy Bowes, reported in the Press last month, has caused some controversy.

On the issue of missed calls, I would like to say that I stand by my original comments - that so far as I am concerned, calls appear to have been missed.

I have visited Mrs Bowes many times and have seen her carers' log on a regular basis. Entries have been made for the majority of calls, but there are gaps in the recording. These gaps directly coincide with the days and times that Mrs Bowes told me that she had not had a carer call.

I have had no reason to disbelieve what she is consistently telling me. Had I been aware of any reason to doubt what was being said - backed up by the carers' log entries - I would not have spoken out on Mrs Bowes's behalf.

I would like to point out a couple of inaccuracies in The Press story. Mrs Bowes did state that she had been left without carers, but she did not say that she had been left as long as 24 hours without a carer calling. She also said that she had been without a bath for two weeks, not three as reported.

Linda Tester, Advocacy Service Manager, Older Citizens Advocacy York.


Editor's note: Our reporter has a shorthand note of Mrs Bowes saying she had gone three weeks without a bath, and had gone "from tea time to tea time" without any call.