Social care workers miss special status

NEW immigration rules will not cause staff shortages within social care as the UK looks to recruit and train workers from within its borders, writer and broadcaster Nick de Bois predicted this week.

Home Secretary Priti Patel outlined the proposed exceptions to proposed legislation with a new ‘health and care’ visa - but the special status was limited to health professionals.

Despite strong criticism from Labour and trade unions over the social care sector missing out, Nick believes the existing workforce bolstered by home grown recruits will fill any gaps.

The former Conservative MP said the home secretary had outlined the draft bill in the House of Commons. “Social care is not one of the groups that will have favourable status to come and work here in the UK.

“What will have favourable status are the health professionals - right across the health profession, dentists, doctors, nurses, clinicians. They have the right to come to the UK, whether from the EU or not, from anywhere in the world because everything is on a level playing field.

“Social care is not included. The reason is the British is saying two things. Firstly, clearly we have to train up our own workforce in social care and that is relatively manageable in a short period of time - unlike doctors, for example, who take several years.

“Secondly, many of our social carers, not all, but a significant amount of our excellent social care workforce comes from the EU and they have all applied for and got settled status and will carry on working.”

Speaking on the Costa Blanca’s Bay Radio, he added: “There will not be a huge gap...the argument is in the social care sector, and in reasonable time, any gap we can fill from here in the UK.”

And Nick said he did not believe there would be a government ‘u-turn or back track’ on its position - despite opposition claims it was ‘cutting of its nose to spite its face’.

He said the opposition stance was it was ‘terrible’ the UK was ‘abandoning’ social care workers from across the globe by saying they were not welcome.

“That flies in the face of those already working and who can continue to work in the social care setting,” said Nick.

“We can recruit and train from our own workforce, people in the UK can be trained up and fill any job vacancies.”

He said the special visa being offered under the draft legislation was ‘fair and spot on’ in being granted to the health service.