I agree completely with ‘Saddened Council Worker’ (Oxford Mail letters. March 8).

My husband became severely disabled four years ago and is confined to a wheelchair and living at home.

During all of this time, the council-run carers from the Home Support and Relief to Care teams have helped and supported us and enabled us to live a relatively normal life.

They are completely aware of my husband’s day-to-day needs, although he is not able to speak, and they have built up a wonderful relationship with us both.

Many other elderly or disabled people have been superbly looked after by these carers for many more years than us. Many are unable to speak up for themselves and will never understand why they have to lose the people who have become their lifeline and may well be the only people they see in a day.

Now these very skilled and caring workers are to be made redundant and a very valuable resource, built up by the council over years, is to be wasted to enable new self directed funding to be implemented.

The powers that be insist this will be more cost effective and will enable everyone receiving care to make their own choices.

Except, it seems, if we choose to keep the carers that are already in place and who are keen to carry on doing the job they love for elderly and disabled clients they are devoted to.

The effect of these changes on some of the elderly may well be catastrophic and could result in them leaving their own homes, with more hospital beds being blocked and/or more residential home places needed. Surely this cannot be justified in either financial or personal terms.

Pat Lurcook, Ringwood Road, Headington, Oxford