THE article by Mike Laycock (Home Truths, August 26) I read with interest, as I am hovering on the "moderate" help line.

I am 86 and have received full necessary care for about five years, until early this year. This included shopping, domestic and general help.

Council officers visited me a month or two ago and, after taking many details, stated that I would receive no more care from them at all.

I had a traumatic reaction to this, and was left wondering how I would cope with arthritis etc, keeping me almost home-bound.

I waited, as did my agency, for confirmation of this decision, as is necessary.

The council then decided to reduce my hours, and, as for most disabled people, cut out shopping and domestic work. My care agency appears to have been privatised, and can charge up to £14 per hour for any help their clients require! They have, at last, washed their hands of the caring service in order to balance the budget. This is my impression, so if anyone knows otherwise, I would like to know.

Memories came flooding back to me of the Thatcher years, and to me the word "privatised" makes me shudder, especially when affecting the older generation. We have worked all our lives, and through the Second World War, without the luxury of modern living, as today.

Dorothy, Knapton Lane, Acomb, York.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "While it would be inappropriate to discuss the details of Dorothy's case through the letters page, I can reassure your readers that the council is not privatising home care services.

"The restructuring of home care services was prompted by a desire to improve the service we currently provide and enable us to provide more specialised services, for example, to deal with elderly residents with mental health difficulties.

"At present, 55 per cent of the home care services arranged by the council are provided externally, but the restructure will see this reduce to 50 per cent, so actually a greater proportion of care will be provided by in-house teams. We are also reducing the number of external providers who provide care on behalf of the council, which should improve the quality of care provided and ensure a consistent level of care.

"The council will still have an overview of the care arrangements of anyone who has their care arranged by the authority, but provided by an external agency. All agencies, including the independent ones, must also meet stringent national standards.

"The charge of £14 per hour referred to is the maximum charge for all home care services arranged by the council, whether they are in-house or external. It is a subsidised charge as it does not reflect the full cost associated with home care provision. All customers have a financial assessment and only those assessed as being able to afford to do so pay the full amount.

"Separate to the changes to home care services, and in response to financial pressures, the council is considering whether its eligibility criteria - the level at which residents are eligible to receive care from the council - should be more in line with that in neighbouring authorities. We are looking closely at the impact this will have on both existing and potential customers and it's important to stress that no decision has been made as yet."