16-05-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Care Forum Wales warning on 'half-baked' immigration plan
The sector champions have said that the plan to end the recruitment of care staff from overseas will have a devastating impact on care homes and domiciliary care companies, with catastrophic consequences for the NHS.
CFW raised the issue as a matter of urgency at a meeting of the Five Nations group, which represents social care providers in Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Eire, where the condemnation was unanimous.
Mario Kreft MBE, chair of CFW, said: "It really is a half-baked, ill-thought through idea that's ignored common sense for the sake of short-term political expediency.
"Calling these social care heroes low skilled is an affront.
"It's shocking because we're talking about some very special people who are highly skilled at caring."
CFW treasurer Sanjiv Joshi said: "International recruitment of care workers has been a lifeline for our sector and the NHS as well.
"As we've realised since the pandemic, the NHS and the social care sector are totally intertwined and the backbone of both these very vital services are the care workers and we have a very small pool to recruit from in Wales.
"It is absolutely essential that we are able to supplement our domestic workforce with international recruitment."
Both organisations are writing to Prime Minister Kier Starmer and the home secretary urging them to reverse the overseas recruitment ban for social care.
The announcement by home secretary Yvette Cooper came at a time when the sector was already reeling from increases in National Insurance contributions and wage rises, which amount to a 37 per cent hike in costs.
Mr Kreft said: "If we were able to recruit sufficient staff locally we would.
"We certainly wouldn't go to the extra expense of recruiting international workers.
"It can cost £10,000 per person.
"Without international recruitment, it's going to be impossible to plug the gaps today and going forward the situation is going to get worse."
