The Curse of the 15 Minute Home Care Visit

Friday, 29th January 2016

A UNISON report out today entitled “Suffering Alone at Home” suggests that three quarters of local authorities in England are still limiting home visits to elderly and disabled clients to just 15 minutes.

The report based on an online survey of over 1000 home care workers and data obtained from a Freedom of Information request found “distressing” cases of care. Although councils are not meant to schedule a 15 minute visit for personal care for help with activities like washing and dressing or administering medication, it appears that these appointments are still happening on a regular basis. The limited time allocated means that care workers regularly don’t have time for a conversation during their care visits. Something they found to be distressing for both themselves and the person they are caring for.

Ministers have been demanding councils in charge of care services put an end to these 15 minutes visits known as “flying visits”. This follows guidance issued by National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) last year who proposed that home care visits should be at least 30 minutes in length unless it was for a quick check up as part of a wider care package. Responding to the findings of this report Councillor Izzi Seccombe from the Local Government Association said “Short visits are sadly just one of the many symptoms of a social care and support system that is under enormous financial pressure”