In a City of York Council survey, 93 per cent of elderly residents receiving home care said they are satisfied with the service they receive and 98 per cent said that their carers are understanding, gentle and honest.

Eight out of ten customers praised the service provided by the council, with 94 per cent of respondents saying that they couldn't manage without the help they receive and 90 per cent agreeing that it enables them to stay in their own homes. 1215 users of the council's home care service received a questionnaire as part of a requirement to provide the Department of Health with information about local services. 73 per cent of those contacted responded. Compulsory questions included: Do your care workers come at a time to suit you? If you ask for changes in the help given, are those changes made? Does anyone contact you from Social Services to check that you are satisfied with the home care you receive? Overall, how satisfied are you with the help from Social Services that you receive in your own home?

Over half of the respondents (52 per cent) said they are happy that their care workers always come at a time that suits them and 40 per cent said that they usually come at a time to suit.

79 per cent of respondents agreed that changes are made when they ask for them and half the respondents (53 per cent) said that they had been contacted to check whether they are satisfied with the service.

Dawn Foster, quality assurance manager, City of York Council, said: "We're really encouraged by the results of the survey, which are a credit to the hard work and dedication of the care workers. We're particularly pleased that 98 per cent of our customers nearly always see the same care workers. This consistency enables them to build a strong relationship, which can help with some of the more difficult parts of the carer-patient relationship.

"The survey also highlighted areas where the service could be better and we will be working to improve on these things in the next few months."

The results of the survey will be forwarded to the Department of Health to be used in their assessment of the council's social care services.