At least 34 councils in England, more than a fifth, admit they still commission 15-minute visits to provide personal care to disabled and older people, despite official guidance that they should not.
These rushed visits are hugely distressing for those who receive them. A visit so short can often leave someone forced to choose between having a cup of tea and going to the loo. That’s a choice no one should ever have to make.
Since 2013, Leonard Cheshire Disability’s Make Care Fair campaign has asked councils to put an end to commissioning undignified 15-minute “flying” care visits for support with personal care – that’s things like washing, dressing and eating.
People who receive rushed visits tell us there is never time for a hot meal. One told us they have gone almost 10 years without lunch, left instead with a bowl of chocolates to snack on. Another was asked if they really needed to wash every day before going to work, while others tell us of the overwhelming loneliness of not having a proper conversation with another person for days.
When the Care Act came into force in April 2015, there was a new hope that its guidance to councils that short visits should not be used for personal care would bring an end to experiences like these. Following this, a number of councils did stop commissioning 15-minute care visits altogether.
However, our most recent research found at least 30,000 disabled and older people in England are still receiving 15-minute care visits . Worryingly, half of them are in the 34 council areas that admit to still using 15-minute care visits for intimate tasks such as washing, dressing and eating. While a short visit can be appropriate for medication or wellbeing checks, it is unacceptable that at least 16,000 are facing the bleak reality of “flying” visits for help with personal care.
Visits as short as 15 minutes are not only unfair, they are unrealistic. We found that on average, people of any ability need at least 40 minutes to get up, washed, dressed and to have some breakfast in the morning. For people with support needs, things may not be as easy or straightforward. None of us would want these flying care visits for ourselves, members of our family, or friends and we should not accept this happening to anyone else.
It is vital that councils put an end to commissioning 15-minute personal care visits once and for all. At the same time, the government must take responsibility to fund social care appropriately so councils are not forced to ration vital support in this way. This will rely on an honest national conversation about social care, led by a cross-party commission. Without this, older and disabled people will continue to face undignified flying care visits, or worse, be left with no support at all.
- Alice Gulland is policy and research manager for Leonard Cheshire Disability
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