A ROUND-the-clock emergency support scheme for elderly and vulnerable residents has been praised in a review.

The District of Easington warden service operates 24 hours a day to make sure its clients are safe in their homes.

Alarm units link residents to a central control point in Easington, where a trained team of wardens are on duty night and day.

Depending on the nature of the call, either a warden is sent to a person's home or the emergency services are alerted.

Housing support schemes of this kind are funded by the national programme Supporting People, which is led by the Government's Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

All Supporting People services must be reviewed within the first three years of the programme to evaluate their quality and performance.

In an interim report published this week by the Durham and District's Supporting People Partnership, the Easington scheme has been found to be a "professional and well organised service with good team working".

The review team also interviewed elderly service users who generally agreed the service was good quality describing it as "marvellous and excellent".

The report also found that in all cases staff were professional, helpful and friendly.

District of Easington care services manager Linda Ogilvy said: "We are delighted with this interim report which shows how valued our service is to those benefiting from warden assistance.

"I would like to thank all staff and the numerous clients who took part in the review and to thank clients especially for their support."