COUNCIL chiefs say they are struggling to find enough agency workers to deliver home care to the elderly - with the problem worse in rural areas.

Worcestershire County Council helps deliver personal at-home visits to more than 2,000 old people to keep them out of residential care.

But with vulnerable people's needs tending to vary wildly, many of them require frequent callers day and night to avoid becoming institutionalised.

Many of the agencies supplying at-home care nurses suffer from high amounts of turnover, with council bosses citing concern.

Dr Richard Harling, the corporate director for health and wellbeing at County Hall, said it was proving challenging to keep on top of it.

"Our services are at least as well-integrated as other places around the country and everyone has this problem, it's not just a Worcestershire issue," he said.

"But it's not the numbers but the complexities of those needing help.

"Long-term care packages are hard because there might be people in more rural areas who need two or three calls a day.

"It reflects a fragile market which doesn't always have the staff in rural areas to do the work.

"I wouldn't want to overplay it because it's not our biggest problem, but it's frustrating when it does happen."

Speaking during a meeting of the adult care and wellbeing overview and scrutiny panel, he told councillors one way around it was to give people more flexibility to purchase their own care.

Around one third of elderly people currently in receipt of some form of social care from the county council now get a direct payment to 'buy' their own service independently, choosing from around 700 different products.

Bosses have developed a website around the theme of 'Your Life, Your Choice' which aims to increase that number further and keep more elderly people out of care homes.

Councillor Anne Hingley, who sits on the scrutiny panel, said: "What I have realised is that we are in a digital world now, and that's having a huge impact on services.

"It's about getting that balancing act right."

Councillor Rob Adams added: "These are clearly very challenging times but this council has got to carry on dealing with whatever comes along."

During the debate Councillor Sheila Blagg, the cabinet member responsible for adult social care, said pressures are growing around the "complexities" of people coming forward in need of help.

* See the 'Your Life, Your Choice' website HERE.