Elderly people are receiving home care visits lasting just five minutes, new figures reveal. Figures, obtained under a Freedom of Information request, showed at least six councils allowed 209,000 five-minute care visits to pensioners and disabled over 12 months.
From ITV News
The request also found 70% of councils in England are still providing 15-minute visit slots – 16 months after the Government condemned the short visits as “unacceptable”.
Care workers have complained that they are being banned from getting into conversation with the people they visit to save time.
Care Minister Norman Lamb has called for a “fundamental” overhaul of home care services, describing short visits as “inappropriate and unacceptable”.