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<p>Care workers are routinely tasked with caring for individuals with intimate care
and support needs, for example helping those who are older or who have a disability
to do everyday things like wash, dress and get out of bed. It is unrealistic to think
that very short home care visits, for example, those lasting less than 15 minutes
would be enough time to do this - it is not fair on those who need care and it is
not fair on care workers. Through the Care Act, the Government has made it clear that
commissioning services without considering the impact on people’s wellbeing is unacceptable.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It is the Government’s position that it would be inappropriate
to introduce new or amend existing legislation to address this issue, for example,
by specifying a minimum time length for home care visits. Short care visits may be
appropriate for specific, non-intimate tasks such as checking medication has been
taken.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Commissioning for high quality care requires
a more fundamental culture shift where the outcomes individuals want to achieve sits
at the heart of every decision made by a local authority. This is best achieved through
guidance and support.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department has published statutory
guidance to support the implementation of the Care Act that describes how local authorities
must meet these new duties when commissioning. The Department has also worked with
the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association
to co-produce a set of standards to support local authorities to assess and improve
their commissioning practices.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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