How long does it take to provide good quality care for someone? At Martlets Care, this is a question which we often have to ask ourselves.

To a provider of domiciliary care like us, the findings released last week by charity Leonard Cheshire Disability (which revealed that in England 60% of councils arrange 15-minute calls) did not come as a major surprise.

Leonard Cheshire wants a ban on what it deems “the scandal of flying 15-minute visits”, saying that such appointments can “force disabled people to choose whether to go thirsty or to go to the toilet”. The story made headline news and it’s easy to see why – the care of the elderly and disabled is, and always will be, an emotive subject.

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I support the calls for a review, in that from my experience, 15 minutes is often not enough time for someone to deliver good quality care.

The issue is that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is trying to drive up standards on the one hand, while on the other hand, it is well known that budgetary limitations are pressing local authorities to trim visits as much as possible.

It is my view, that in this growing market for care at home provision, the lowering of care standards brought about by extreme pressure on resources will result in vulnerable clients being put at risk.

I don’t support a total ban on 15-minute visits, as we know that sometimes this is all it takes, for example, to deliver medication.

But what our clients tell us time and again is that good quality care provision and wellbeing is as much about making that extra bit of time for someone as it is about professional efficiency.

A task can be undertaken in 15 minutes but holistic care cannot.

Most care calls cannot be boiled down to just one or two tasks: a complex array of other interactions is also required.

Listening, observing, monitoring and assessing all take time.

At Martlets Care we take on 15 minute care call requests only in exceptional cases when it is clear that the task is straightforward and the care won’t be compromised.

The risk is both to the client and to the carer: carers who find themselves working in a pressurised manner are more likely to make mistakes or suffer stress and burnout.

The CQC has defined what ‘good care’ looks like for all care providers. What is perhaps less clear is ‘how long’ is an acceptable standard for delivering that good care.

This situation does need to be looked into by the Government as a matter of urgency.