Care visa is a real ‘kick in the teeth’ for vital industry workers
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NICOLA FINDLAY
East Kilbride MSP Linda Fabiani has slammed the UK Government’s new fast-track visa for EU healthcare workers which will exclude many in the social care sector.
Doctors, nurses and other skilled healthcare workers from the EU will be able to apply for a fast-track health and care visa to work in the UK after Brexit, the UK Government has revealed as it outlined more details of how the post-Brexit immigration system will work.
However, concerns have been raised over the exclusion of social care workers from the health and care visa, which will not apply to care staff because they are classed as unskilled.
Social care workers have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic with care homes among the hardest hit.
Whitehills Care Home in East Kilbride – operated by Thistle Healthcare Ltd – has seen 23 COVID-realted deaths among residents and a high number of staff also off work with the virus, or suspected cases showing symptoms.
Ms Fabiani said: “The health and social care visa’ is a real kick in the teeth for the care sector after their vital contribution to saving lives and helping to tackle the virus.
“The points-based immigration system discriminates against the key workers we have relied upon during this pandemic and risks decimating Scotland’s care sector.
“If the Tories refuse to listen to concerns and make significant changes, then Scotland must have the powers to design our own immigration system – one that will not cripple our key sectors in the middle of a health crisis.”
And Scottish Labour warned that the exclusion of social care workers could put Scotland’s ability to tackle COVID at risk.
Leading union UNISON has also said the system is a blow to the care sector.
A spokesman told the News: “This will impact badly not only on care workers but the care sector has a whole.
“Care workers carry out a vital job for mostly low pay and this could very well lead to staff shortages.”
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) also said it was “disappointed” with the new visa.
RCN chief executive and general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said: “Once again, we are disappointed to see the Government’s plans for the UK’s future immigration system falling short of what is required to meet the workforce needs of the health and social care sectors, now and in the future.
“The Government is ignoring our concern that we need an appropriate immigration route for social care workers.”
But Home Secretary Priti Patel said the new immigration system would ensure the UK attracted “the best and brightest global talent”.
She added: “The British people voted to take back control of our borders and introduce a new points-based immigration system.
“Now we have left the EU, we are free to unleash this country’s full potential and implement the changes we need to restore trust in the immigration system and deliver a new fairer, firmer, skills-led system from January 1, 2021.”