Value for money will be the Liberal Democrats' goal as they take over the city's adult care services.

They fell from power in 2007 after taking the flak for months over their proposals for increasing the role of the private sector in home care – the care provided to elderly people in their own homes.

Their view is that Labour has effectively continued this process, but failed to get to grips with spiralling costs in the in-house service, partly caused by high staff sickness rates.

Bristol's adult health and social care was given a two-star "good" rating for a second year running in December.

The Commission for Social Care Inspectorate (CSCI) commended the city council for making significant improvements in key areas. But the Lib Dems said problems were worsening.

Labour councillor Derek Pickup, who until Tuesday was in charge of adult care services, said long-term sickness rates among the home care staff had remained stable and short-term sickness had halved last year. He said managers were "energetically pursuing" reducing hours lost through sickness and some staff were now retiring through ill-health.

Now it is the Lib Dems' turn to see what improvements they can make to a service which is not only important to an increasing number of Bristol people – but vital to the council's standing.

If it wants to improve its current two-star Audit Commission rating of services across the board, getting value for money in home care will be a big help.

In its 21 months in office Labour launched a programme of phased care home closures and the creation of new specialist dementia care homes and so-called "re-ablement" centres for people needing short-term care, for instance, when they come out of hospital after an operation before they are able to look after themselves again.

Nationwide, councils are moving in this direction, rising to the challenge of an ever-increasing elderly population by encouraging more people to stay in their own homes longer.

They back this up with increased spending on home care and on developing more so-called Very Sheltered Housing schemes, designed to help elderly individuals and couples to be cared for but with their "own front doors".

This has been Labour's policy and, by and large, it is likely to remain the Liberal Democrats'.