BRADFORD Council has admitted it faces "growing pressure" over home care across the district as a major union warns that the sector is "collapsing."

Unison released a new report - '15 Minutes of Shame' - at its annual conference in Glasgow this week, revealing members' concerns over 15 minute visits to patients, low pay rates, the use of zero-hours contracts, poor training standards, and the consequences of privatisation.

Union leaders have described the situation as a "crisis", and Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council's executive member for social care, said he was due to meet with local Unison representatives to discuss the issues.

"We recognise there is a real pressure over home care," he said.

"We are working to provide the best possible arrangements for people.

"There is a growing need, and if you add to that the rising demographics, then there is growing pressure."

Councillor Jackie Whiteley, Conservative spokesman for adult services, said: "I speak with senior officers on a regular basis and I'm confident that the quality of care is strictly monitored.

"Pay is a big issue, and it is wrong if Bradford Council are not paying a living wage to agencies delivering the service.

"If the council has committed to paying all its employees the living wage, it should be duty-bound to do so to staff it outsources services to."

Earlier this year, Bradford Care Association warned that firms could be forced out of business due to the hourly rate the authority pays, which has remained frozen for the last three years.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrats on the Council, said: "A number of providers are going to pull out of offering this care, but the council insists it can find people to do it for the money offered.

"Some companies pay staff the minimum wage, or less in some cases.

"Clearly, it's a race to the bottom."

Unison general secretary, Dave Prentis, described the current homecare system as a "source of national shame."

"Too many people who rely on this vital service are routinely being robbed of their dignity," he said.

"The new Government must listen to the voices of the people at the heart of this crisis."