15-Minute Care Visits

“15-Minute care visits present numerous challenges both for Clients and their Carers, who want to look after vulnerable people well and with dignity.”

This is the message coming from Right at Home in response to Unison’s findings that many providers are ignoring calls to eradicate the short visits.

“We have always maintained that it is impossible for Carers to fully meet Clients’ needs when they only have 15-minutes in the Client’s home,” said Ken Deary, Managing Director of Right at Home UK.

“Many people who receive homecare are socially isolated and often their Carer is their main link to the outside world – sometimes the only person they will see that day.

“Care work is a vocation and the vast majority of care workers do their job because they want to make a positive difference to their Clients’ lives.

“But you cannot treat people with dignity or take time to sit and have a chat when you are rushing through the essential tasks; nor have you got time to respond or react to any unusual circumstances or to support the person if you find them in a state of upset. This is incredibly distressing for the Carer as well as the Client.”