Fifteen-minute care visits are not good enough

Almost three quarters of local authorities are still commissioning care visits to the elderly lasting only 15 minutes, figures show.

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Many councils buy in care from outside firms in blocks of a quarter of an hour, leaving carers trying to complete a range of tasks with each pensioner in a short space of time.

These tasks can include dressing, washing, and heating up meals, as well as cleaning up incontinent pensioners and administering medicines.

Charities have warned that such short visits mean the carer does not have enough time to do all this.

The figures, obtained through Freedom of Information requests for a survey by Unison, showed that 73% of town halls are still commissioning 15-minute visits, despite concerns having been raised previously.

The public sector union blamed cuts to local authorities’ budgets by the Coalition Government.

Heather Wakefield of Unison said: “Fifteen-minute visits exemplify the inadequacy of the current ‘care on the cheap’ system.

“Imagine trying to provide personal care to an incontinent 94-year old with dementia, clearing up any mess they have made, feeding them and giving them medicines, all in just 15 minutes.

“There is no time left to have a conversation, let alone provide some compassionate care before rushing out.

“No wonder home carers tell us they are depressed about the standard of care they are forced to provide.

“The Government has acknowledged the damage that 15-minute care visits can do but it has failed to stop their use. In fact, drastic cuts to council budgets have only made matters worse.”

Norman Lamb, the care minister, also described such short visits as “completely unacceptable” and suggested the care system was at risk of “institutionalising neglect” as a result.

He told the Daily Mail: “I am very concerned about the rush to the bottom, where local authorities commission providers to carry out these short visits.

“The worker rushes in and has no time to engage with the individual and look after them properly. All they can do is the essential tasks and then rush out. This approach is unacceptable.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/10124406/Fifteen-minute-care-visits-blamed-on-budget-cuts.html