A Rowley Regis resident claims elderly people could be put at risk by a reduced number of warden visits.

Gerald Taylor, of Mayfield Crescent, says a decision by Sandwell Homes to broaden their warden service will be detrimental to those already living in Sheltered and Supported Housing.

Under new rules the service will be available to anyone identified as vulnerable, though it is not clear whether the number of wardens will be increased.

Wardens have been asked to carry out an assessment of people who currently receive visits based on their needs, with the possibility those who receive daily visits could see these reduced to weekly or even monthly.

Mr Taylor, whose 93-year-old mother lives in sheltered housing, believes this could lead to disaster.

He said: "The warden service is a life-line to a lot of elderly people who don't have a lot of contact with others.

"The needs assessment carried out by wardens seems balanced towards reducing the number of visits.

"What if something happens during the month? You may as well not bother having a service at all."

Guidelines given to wardens recommends daily visits for those recently released from hospital, recovering from illness or recently bereaved, but says these should be reduced to monthly visits as soon as medical support is in place.

A monthly visit coupled with a weekly telephone call is recommended to stop a resident becoming isolated.

Peter John, operations director for Sandwell Homes, said they intended to improve the quality of the service by bringing in new approaches and techniques.

He said: "This will allow us to provide customised services which are tailor-made for each individual.

"It is the first stage in the re-modelling of what is already recognised as a wide range of excellent services greatly appreciated by the people who use them."