I NOTE the interest you have taken in the debate around the provision of care for older people in the country ("Care firm organisation warns of looming recruitment crisis" , The Herald, November 16).

This is not a straightforward issue and any analysis must be balanced by the fact that over the past five years the care home sector alone within social care has seen year-on-year increases in local authority rates, amounting to some 12.9%. This year alone saw a 2.5% increase in care home fees, creating a £2.5m budget pressure in Glasgow Social Work Services.

Whilst the majority of care homes in Glasgow provide excellent care and support, sustaining quality remains a huge challenge to all of us concerned with the care of older people. Regrettably there have been some examples of poor care in some homes in recent times that have required council and Care Inspectorate interventions to remedy. It is not at all clear from this experience that the sector as a whole has invested its increased fee income in higher salaries to low-paid staff or their training, or indeed would do so were those rates to be increased even further.

Scottish Care is an important strategic partner in Glasgow's Reshaping Care for Older People activity and it shares our concern that care standards must be maintained. We have ample evidence of private care homes in Glasgow providing excellent care within the existing financial framework.

I would, however, like to see an evidenced argument that reinvestment from other areas of the health and social care system is needed to ensure a similarly excellent experience for older people in all care homes. This is at a point when the Scottish Government's policy direction, one which I entirely agree with, is to shift the balance of care towards ensuring that older people are able to stay in their homes longer, which is where older people generally report they would rather be.

David Williams,

Executive director,

Social Work Services,

Glasgow City Council.