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Elderly parents

Carers charging for 30 minutes but only working 15-20 minutes - is this normal for care?

112 replies

ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 09:25

I am not sure if this is a normal thing to expect from care or not.

Mum lives with my dad, she has dementia and is incontinent. Last year we employed a team of carers to help mum.

They are all self employed but work together as a team, so not an actual care company. In retrospect we absolutely should have gone with a company because things can often become a bit too fragmented for my liking, for example I have to pay everyone individually, they insist on being paid weekly, I would have preferred monthly but they don't want that. Tbh, we had to rush about finding these carers a year ago after mum had come out of a long hospital stay and the NHS discharge carers let us down. It was all frantic at the time and very stressful. Looking back at it all a care company would have been a much better fit.

Anyhow, the carers come three times a day, around 9.30am to get mum up, put on the loo and showered/dressed, then again after lunch for a toilet break and again at 7pm to put mum to bed. They come in pairs and charge £26 per hour and £20 per half hour. This is 7 days a week.

However, they will often only do 15-20 minutes during the afternoon and evening visit and will round their charge to the nearest half hour. I am usually at my parents for the afternoon visit and I have never known them to ever do a full half hour.

I have no idea if this is normal practice for carers? I asked on a Subreddit and was piled upon by some people saying that it's poor enough money as it is and the carers have to consider travel expenses etc. I am a self employed cleaner and when I tell my clients that I am doing an hour, I will do the full hour, I have also incorporated the cost of my travel into my fee as this isn't my clients concern (and my fee is a lot less than the carers).

Does anyone else have private carers for a parent and do they do this? Maybe it is normal, I honestly don't know?

OP posts:
LoafofSellotape · 07/08/2026 17:16

user90756423298 · 07/08/2026 17:06

We had carers at home, they’d turn up and ask what wanted doing “oh I’m fine, I don’t need any help” and off they’d go. Still sent the bill for half an hour though and there was lots that could have been done as the patient really wasn’t fine!
A fall, ironically just after the carers left, resulted in a hospital stay and we then got them a place in a home. I think home carers work okay if the person has enough sharpness left to know what they’re there for and what wants doing, but once there’s cognitive decline its a different kettle of fish.

Totally agree and this was our experience too. Home is much better.

user90756423298 · 07/08/2026 17:06

We had carers at home, they’d turn up and ask what wanted doing “oh I’m fine, I don’t need any help” and off they’d go. Still sent the bill for half an hour though and there was lots that could have been done as the patient really wasn’t fine!
A fall, ironically just after the carers left, resulted in a hospital stay and we then got them a place in a home. I think home carers work okay if the person has enough sharpness left to know what they’re there for and what wants doing, but once there’s cognitive decline its a different kettle of fish.

Sherararara · 07/08/2026 17:01

This is the norm. Most care
companies have it written into the fine print of the contract. Realistically they have to factor in time to get from one client to the next, usually 10 mins. If you actually want a full then they wouldn’t be able to service as many people during the day which means they would need to charge you more per visit. Can’t have it both ways.

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 07/08/2026 16:57

We had this with a care company with my DM. There were granny cameras in the flat so knew how long they were there. I spoke to the manager and she agreed that the carer should spend the time with DM even if it was just a friendly chat. She lived alone though and the contact was invaluable.
I hope you have a better experience with a new set of carers.

PermanentTemporary · 07/08/2026 16:42

If you’ve got Home Instead locally, in general I hear and see good things about them - worth getting a quote.

Minnie798 · 07/08/2026 15:51

So many things wrong here.
Quietly carry on with getting the ss assessment done and talking to other care companies.
Switch over asap.

ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 15:35

Dilemma999 · 07/08/2026 14:45

Good advice from the nurse. Social services can do a Chc assessments in conjunction with a health professional. It’s very hard to get that funding though. It would make sense for both to have care with one agency. Also question whether that care can be provided by a single carer. They probably don’t need double handed care unless they can’t weight bear.

Thank you. I will definitely ask about the two carer issue,um can get out of bed and her recliner and can walk, albeit slowly with her frame.

OP posts:
Tryagain26 · 07/08/2026 15:33

ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 09:44

No, they are a team of 6 carers who all used to work for a care company but are now all self employed, there is no manager or 'boss'. I realise now, a year on that we really should have gone with a proper company.

You live and learn I suppose!

I think it would have been the same with a private company and you would probably have had to pay more.
I assume there this a minimum charge which is £20 whether they stay for 10 minutes or 30. So in effect it is up to 30 minutes not a flat 30 minutes. Anything over 30 minutes they would charge the hourly rate even if they only stayed 40 minutes.
Do you think your mum needs the carers for the full half hour? If you are there and your dad is there they probably think your mum doesn't need them to come in and chat with her they might worry they are being intrusive.
If you think your mum isn't getting the care she needs and she needs the full half hour you should raise it with them but if you think she is getting the care she needs and if she and your dad are happy with that I don't think you should raise it .

Dilemma999 · 07/08/2026 14:45

Good advice from the nurse. Social services can do a Chc assessments in conjunction with a health professional. It’s very hard to get that funding though. It would make sense for both to have care with one agency. Also question whether that care can be provided by a single carer. They probably don’t need double handed care unless they can’t weight bear.

ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 14:40

I've just come off the phone after my chat with the lovely Admiral dementia nurse. She agrees we are spending out quite a bit for care costs and says that getting SS in for a full care assessment is needed and we should also ask them if we could get a CHC checklist done by a professional (not sure who could do that for mum though). She says it is hard to get but with mum's other health issues it may be a possibility and at least worth getting the checklist done if nothing else.

She also recommended we get a few care companies in to assess mum and get some quotes from them and she also recommends looking at sit in services for mum and she has given me the details of our local care support charity.

She couldn't find a lot in our area which is ridiculous seeing that our town is now supposed to be a city and we are only an hour's train journey to London. We aren't exactly out in the sticks but there isn't a lot in our area for dementia patients either but maybe that's a countrywide issue?

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ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 14:32

Bobsterbunny · 07/08/2026 14:29

@ImissSpangles I'm sure you've done this, but make sure your parents are receiving the correct levels of Attendance Allowance (not means tested) and Pension Credit (if eligible).

Thank you, thankfully they have all they ate entitled to. I made sure of that as soon as mum got her diagnosis.

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ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 14:32

I'd do the same and I do with the elderly clients I clean for, I don't have to do that, obviously but as you say many older people are so lonely and a quick cuppa and chat often goes a long way for them.

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Bobsterbunny · 07/08/2026 14:29

@ImissSpangles I'm sure you've done this, but make sure your parents are receiving the correct levels of Attendance Allowance (not means tested) and Pension Credit (if eligible).

Victorius19 · 07/08/2026 14:21

I don't know how they can charge and behave like that, to be honest. If I had someone where it was just a medication visit, I'd sit and chat to them for the full half hour and ask if they needed me to wash up or do any small jobs. For some elderly people it's the only contact they'll have that day.

ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 14:11

Dilemma999 · 07/08/2026 13:57

If they assess your mum as having care needs, have a care agency. Then your dad will get used to those workers and you can switch over to the agency doing both.
Instal cameras and let the workers know you’ve done this. Wonderful how that concentrates the mind.

This is the better scenario imo. They can bill us monthly and it will only be one payment, at the moment I have to frequently check my dad's emails for the invoices then do bank transfers for all 6 carers, I had asked them to put all invoices in on a Thursday when I'm there all day but they just put them in randomly any day they chose.

I also want to go with an agency so if there are any gripes I can pick up the phone and call the person in charges, are carers are all self employed so no one is in charge as such

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Victorius19 · 07/08/2026 13:57

I would phone the HMRC at the very least and find out that they're declaring this income, because if they're not offering any T & C's or paperwork, it's very unlikely.

Dilemma999 · 07/08/2026 13:57

If they assess your mum as having care needs, have a care agency. Then your dad will get used to those workers and you can switch over to the agency doing both.
Instal cameras and let the workers know you’ve done this. Wonderful how that concentrates the mind.

ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 13:53

BestZebbie · 07/08/2026 13:48

If they don't have a "minimum charge is for 30 mins" clause in their T&Cs (which they might well do), have you tried sending the invoice back with pro rata payment for the actual amount of time they spent inside the house as shown on a ring doorbell? (Of course, next week they just take a personal call or check their email on their phone indoors before leaving unless there are cameras inside too).

This is the issue we have, we have no contract so no T&C's. Everything we agreed to initially was all verbal.

They email their separate invoices weekly and I pay them by bank transfer.

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BestZebbie · 07/08/2026 13:48

ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 09:54

They each put a detailed invoice in each week and it clearly states 30 mins when we have been timing them and it's very rarely more than 20 mins.

If they don't have a "minimum charge is for 30 mins" clause in their T&Cs (which they might well do), have you tried sending the invoice back with pro rata payment for the actual amount of time they spent inside the house as shown on a ring doorbell? (Of course, next week they just take a personal call or check their email on their phone indoors before leaving unless there are cameras inside too).

ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 13:47

7238SM · 07/08/2026 13:44

They come in pairs and charge £26 per hour and £20 per half hour

So you are paying £40 for their so called 30mins slots 3x a day, so £120 per day?
Yet instead of providing 90mins of care they are only doing 45-80-mins a day?

They work around 45 mins in the morning and round it up to the hour and afternoon and evening visits are generally around 20 mins and they round it up to 30 mins.

So on average it's £52 for the morning visit, £40 for the afternoon and £40 for the evening.

OP posts:
7238SM · 07/08/2026 13:44

They come in pairs and charge £26 per hour and £20 per half hour

So you are paying £40 for their so called 30mins slots 3x a day, so £120 per day?
Yet instead of providing 90mins of care they are only doing 45-80-mins a day?

ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 13:41

Washingforweeks · 07/08/2026 13:37

When I cared for people if it was a 30 minute slot id do what ever was required of me and then whatever time was left id spend it chatting to the person. Or asking if they wanted nails painted/ anything really. It’s a piss take and they should be there the full time

That's lovely. It does appear that carers who go above and beyond are quite a rare things these days.

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ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 13:39

ByQuaintAzureWasp · 07/08/2026 13:32

Just thinking about this £26 for two people for an hour diesnt even ci er minimum wage, NI and pension. I'd say i am happy to pay more but say I want the full time covered.

As I have explained in my replies, it is £26 per hour per carer and they always come in twos.

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ImissSpangles · 07/08/2026 13:38

7238SM · 07/08/2026 13:31

Do you have any sort of written contract with these people? What notice period do you need to given if/when you change to other carers? I wouldn't get rid of them until something else is sorted and in place.

None, so stupid of us, I know. I have said to my dad to keep quiet until we have had the SS assessment and then I plan to get a few care companies over to see what they can offer and we will make our final decision then so I will let it run for the time being.

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Washingforweeks · 07/08/2026 13:37

When I cared for people if it was a 30 minute slot id do what ever was required of me and then whatever time was left id spend it chatting to the person. Or asking if they wanted nails painted/ anything really. It’s a piss take and they should be there the full time