Care visits for elderly and disabled 'last just five minutes'

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.

ITV News reporter Rebecca Barry explains:

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".

Responses from 116 of the 150 local councils in England revealed that Burton, Derbyshire, Dudley, Leicestershire, Milton Keynes and North Lincolnshire had allocated five-minute slots during 2012/13.

Mr Lamb said: "It is totally inappropriate and unacceptable for frail elderly people and those with disabilities to receive care visits to address their personal needs in this sort of time.

"It is just fanciful to think that elderly people can be provided with compassionate and kind care in this sort of timeslot."

The Department of Health insisted it had brought in a tougher system of checks to ensure patients receive "safe and compassionate care".

Parkinson's sufferer Alan Haughton, whose wife, June, also has Alzheimer's, said five-minute slots were "ridiculous".

He told ITV News: "Five minutes? That's ridiculous for anybody. A minimum of an hour if not an hour and a half is better."

Clare Aldridge, a carer who visits Mr and Mrs Haughton for an hour every morning and evening, said it was vital carers took the time to have conversations and to build a rapport with patients.