ELDERLY residents are distressed and frightened following the erosion of Bromsgrove’s sheltered housing service.

One 71-year-old widow from Crabtree Court in Sidemoor is so upset she appealed to Prince Charles for help.

Betty Cottrill said: “So many services have been reduced that people are feeling vulnerable. We used to have a 24-hour warden service, but nobody is here through the night now. Meals are no longer cooked here, they are brought in and there are no staff on Sunday afternoons.”

Dilys Cross, 83, said: “When the council ran the home it was brilliant. We had round the clock care and entertainment. It’s nothing like that now. A meal is more expensive, less appetising, and we even have to pay extra for a cup of tea with it.” She claimed recently an elderly woman had fallen over in the night and was discovered the next morning on the floor with a huge gash to her head.

Mrs Cross said: “Lifeline is all very well, but if you are too poorly you can’t use it. We have a man with Alzeihmer’s walking around in the night, which is also a worry.”

One resident from Shenstone Court said: “It’s like a morgue here when there’s no staff. People are moving out because of the lack of care.”

When Mrs Cottrill wrote to Prince Charles he sent his sympathy, passed a copy to the Queen and to the head of Age Concern.

The Queen’s correspondence officer, Jennie Vine, said: “The Queen has taken careful note of your comments. I have been instructed to send your letter to the Right Honourable Hazel Blears, MP, so that she may know of your approach to Her Majesty on this matter and may consider the points you raise.”

Sue Rollason, of Bromsgrove District Housing Trust, said she was aware of residents’ concerns at Shenstone Court but denied there had been any complaints since the withdrawal of sleep-in wardens in December 2006.

She said: “Although wardens are not on site at our sheltered schemes, all residents have a 24-hour response line and an alarm pendant.”

She said the incident at Crabtree Court in August occurred because the resident did not use her pendant and even if staff had slept on site they would not have known about the accident until morning.

Miss Rollason added that a ‘staged process’ was in place which, on October 6, will see staffing reduced even further from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8am to 2pm at weekends.

The trust manages two very sheltered schemes, 19 sheltered housing schemes and one Extra Care scheme due to be launched later this year.

Age Concern is currently drawing up a report about the services after informing Mrs Cottrill that cuts were being made all around the country.