The volume of local authority funded homecare services has declined for a second successive year, indicating the era of ever-increasing provision is over, research issued today reveals.

Laing and Buisson's Domiciliary Care UK Market Report 2013 shows the number of homecare contact hours funded by authorities decreased by 6% from 3.85 million to 3.62 million in 2011/12 – the second year levels fell after a 15-year period of year- on-year increases.

Much of the reversal is because of the government's personalisation agenda, which has given users the freedom to buy their own care services through direct payment schemes, the report claims.  In addition, a tightening of eligibility criteria has reduced overall spend.

Independent sector homecare businesses expanded their market share to 89%, giving council-run in-house teams a paltry 11% of the country's homecare services.  Cost appeared to be the main driver for continued outsourcing, with council provision on average double the cost of private sector rivals.

Separately, Freedom of Information (FOI) research conducted by the Unison trade union show nearly three quarters (73%) of councils in England, Wales and Scotland still commission 15-minute home care visits for elderly and vulnerable people.

Although the government's position is such short care appointments ‘risk stripping people of their dignity and jeopardising their human rights', many councils are forced to resort to them because of funding cuts.

UNISON has called on he government to scrap 15 minute care slots, and has urged local authorities to comply with its Ethical Home Care Charter.

Heather Wakefield, UNISON head of local government, said:  ‘Our home care system is in crisis.

'Every day, elderly and vulnerable people suffer because they are not getting the care they need and deserve. 15 minute visits exemplify the inadequacy of the current care on the cheap system.'