Elderly and disabled in South Yorkshire not getting '˜humane and dignified' care

The UNISON report reveals all councils in the county are limiting home care visits to 15 minutes.

The union says 74 per cent of home care workers felt they did not have enough time to provide dignified care to people they visited.

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: ““Home care workers have shared their harrowing stories with a strong sense of sadness, guilt, anger, and ultimately disgust, at a broken home care system.

“Eye-watering cuts imposed by the government mean councils are still booking the shortest possible visits to care for vulnerable, frail and isolated elderly people.

“Homecare workers are often the only faces some people see all day.”

The Suffering Alone at Home report is based on a survey of 1,100 homecare workers and Freedom of Information requests to all 152 local authorities in England that commission home care visits. 

The report found 73 per cent of local authorities in Yorkshire and Humberside – including Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley, and Rotherham – limited visits to 15 minutes.

A Sheffield Council spokesman said: “Everyone’s needs are different and each person’s needs are assessed on an individual basis. The majority of care visits are longer than 15 minutes but this time could be used if someone just needs to visit for a short while– for example, to remind someone to take their medication. Carers and care providers can raise any concerns with us about the length of visit to someone they think needs more time. We also urge people to get in touch if they are concerned about the visits they receive.”