SOCIAL services have been accused of trying to make an elderly woman who suffered a stroke homeless.

Edith Archer lived at Icknield Court Residential Home, Princes Risborough, until she recently suffered a stroke and had to be taken into Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Mrs Archer, who is in her mid-80s, has since recovered but now needs to be moved from the hospital to a nursing home to receive more specialised care.

Her son-in-law Nigel Cox said Buckinghamshire social services have not found Mrs Archer a place in a nursing home but have asked to take away her room at Icknield Court.

He fears she could effectively be made homeless.

Mr Cox said that social services, the responsibility of Buckinghamshire County Council, were asking him to sign a form releasing Mrs Archer's place so it can be used.

But he said this would effectively leave her homeless, and there would be nowhere for Mrs Archer's belongings to be stored until another place is found.

He said: "What they're asking me to do is make her homeless."

Mr Cox added: "Staff at the hospital have been great but they can't do very much more for her."

He paid tribute to staff at the residential home but believes social services should be doing more for his mother-in-law.

Mr Cox added: "The social services gave us a list of nursing homes to go and see.

"We could be running around looking for social services' funded spaces when they should tell us where the spaces are and we'd go and have a look."

A spokesman for the county council said it was always difficult when someone had to move home as a result of illness but the social services department was doing the best it could and working with the family to find Mrs Archer a place.