RESIDENTIAL homes for the elderly in South Warwickshire provide an excellent service, and despite extremely high costs, the council will keep them operating.

According to a recent review by social services staff, it costs more to look after an elderly person in a home run by Warwickshire County Council than it does for the council to pay for a place in an independent home.

Councillors have now asked social services to look at reducing the cost of caring for individuals in homes, such as Lower Meadow in Stratford, which may include helping some older people to stay at home.

The comprehensive Best Value review took a steering group of council officers, members of the voluntary sector and a representative from the inspection unit of another authority, six months to complete.

The group, which was monitored by a panel of councillors, examined all factors including polling residents on their opinions. The results are encouraging, according to the report, which said Warwickshire homes "provide a better quality service than other local authority homes and homes in the independent sector."

Other positive findings included satisfied residents, who are regularly consulted on what they want from a service and who are offered more services than those in other homes.

However, the cost of this care is not only higher than the cost of private homes, but also much higher than those for comparable local authorities. The council has now ordered a review, which will see the development of rehabilitation services and pilot schemes offering extra care at home explored, alongside a close inspection of spending.