Mr. Michael Fitzgerald:

There are just a couple of key points, one of which, the prevalence of the 30 minute service, was referred to by a number of members. While much criticism is made of the service, when we asked our professional staff who call up the requirements for service from a care plan perspective, they were anxious to retain the 30 minute service. There are circumstances when a 30 minute call is absolutely appropriate. We certainly would not condone a 30 minute call for a service that would take one and a half hours to complete, or trying to shoehorn a one hour call into 30 minutes. With calls that require toileting people, ensuring they are eating their meals or meal supervision, or that they are up and about their business, a 30 minute call is very much appropriate. It is also very hard to do. Private and voluntary providers and directly provided service providers do not always want to engage in a 30 minute call because it can mean it is a call to be done within their patch or their area. We try to use it this approach as judiciously as possible, but it is an absolute requirement as per our own professional staff.