Care minister Norman Lamb has called for a “fundamental” overhaul of home help services, after an investigation exposed more than half a million visits that lasted less than five minutes each.
New figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show rising numbers of council checks on the elderly and disabled are taking place in a matter of minutes.
Charities have raised fears that vulnerable pensioners are being neglected and are being forced to choose between being washed or fed.
Ministers have repeatedly pledged to crack down on the scandal of “clock-watch care” by services contracted to councils provide visits of 15 minutes or less.
Mr Lamb last night called for a "fundamental shift" away from the practice, which he said could only be justified in the most basic cases, such as checks about whether medicine had been taken.