Decision to axe overseas care worker visas prompts outcry from charities

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement to end social care visas to new applications from overseas and to classify care workers as “low-skilled” as part of the government’s plans to reduce net migration has been met with grave concern by leading figures across the Jewish social care sector.

The policy shift comes at a time when many in the field are still grappling with the long-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, increased operating costs and chronic staffing shortages, said charity heads.

They added that in Jewish welfare organisations, whose job it was to provide vital support to some of the most vulnerable members of the community, the decision was being viewed not only as a practical misstep but also as a failure to recognise the complexity and skill inherent in care work.

The Fed, the main social care charity in the Manchester Jewish community, began overseas recruitment in 2018 to address an anticipated staffing crisis.

Its chief executive, Mark Cunningham, said the charity would have been “unlikely” to meet the immense challenges of the pandemic without international staff.

Jewish Care chair Marcus Sperber (behind, third from right) with some members of the organisation's care team and residents Doreen, Marjorie and Betty (Photo: Mike Stone)[Missing Credit]

Despite current workforce stability at the Fed, Cunningham warned that the new immigration policy would “undoubtedly cause significant problems for the sector and, ultimately, the Fed, too”. Cunningham, who has more than 26 years of experience in Jewish social care, said: “I just don’t see how this announcement will support care providers to contribute to the wider health and social care government strategy.”

He criticised what he called a lack of foresight. “There is no local or central government responsibility or ownership of the crisis facing social care, just knee-jerk reactions and a failure to spot the unintended consequences of policy changes.”

He said that despite the government’s aspirations to build a homegrown workforce of carers, “many providers have become completely dependent upon overseas workers because of the difficulties recruiting locally.

“A reduced supply of workers will come at a time when the care sector is already facing turmoil as a result of increased national insurance, above-inflation pay awards and increased regulation from the Care Quality Commission.”

Daniel Carmel-Brown, CEO of Jewish Care – the largest Jewish health and social care organisation in London and the South East – issued a strong rebuke of the reforms, particularly the government’s classification of care work as “low-skilled”.

He told the JC: “On behalf of our hundreds of care workers, I am deeply offended by the classification of their work as low-skilled. My colleagues are highly skilled, and one only has to spend time with them to understand how they navigate complex, demanding, physical and emotional tasks every single day and night.”

Although Jewish Care is not currently reliant on international recruitment, Carmel-Brown warned that the new policy could reduce the national pool of carers, which would inevitably affect recruitment efforts down the line. “The decision is deeply concerning and one that risks undermining the sustainability of care provision across the country,” he said.

Jewish Care's CEO Daniel Carmel-Brown[Missing Credit]

“Though we may not be directly affected in the immediate term, the wider impact on workforce availability will inevitably affect our ability to recruit in the future.”

He accused the government of not yet demonstrating that it understood “the challenges the care sector faces. From increasing employers’ national insurance contributions through to pushing out a Commission on Social Care to 2028, we are yet to see action to support a sector which is hugely pressured from every direction.”

Naomi Dickson, chief executive of Norwood, which supports children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, echoed the concerns raised by fellow Jewish social care leaders.

While Norwood was not actively recruiting from overseas, Dickson warned of the broader impact, saying: “By reducing the size of the pool of workers in what is already a very challenging recruitment landscape, the government risks further increasing our reliance on unsustainable agency staff and our staffing bills, at a time when we are still absorbing the true cost of the national insurance increase for employers.”

She added that the charity disputed the classification of care workers as “low-skilled”, saying: “The skill, professionalism and dedication of care workers must be appropriately valued and shown the respect, recognition and investment it deserves if we are to begin to tackle the workforce supply challenges the sector has long faced.”

Some of Nightingale Hammerson's care team, who received 2024's Chief Nursing Officer for Adult Social Care Team Award for “outstanding services to social care”[Missing Credit]

Jenny Pattinson, chief executive of Nightingale Hammerson, which runs two residential homes for older people, also expressed concern. “With the government effectively cutting off the supply of such a dedicated and skilled workforce to the whole care sector, at a time when there are recruitment challenges, is another blow to the sector as a whole,” she said. “There has been no formal impact assessment carried out and no concrete plans to address the skills shortages that exist in our domestic workforce.

“The provision of outstanding care cannot happen without a highly skilled, compassionate team, and we will continue to support our incredible teams to develop their careers with us and provide a stable, skilled workforce fit for the future.”

Responding to criticisms of the proposed policy changes, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This government will reduce reliance on international workers in adult social care and boost the recruitment and retention of homegrown talent.

“We recognise the scale of reform needed to make adult social care attractive as a career. We want it to be regarded as a profession and for the people who work in care to be respected as professionals.”

They added that the government would be introducing the Fair Pay Agreement (FPA), which would set minimum pay and conditions for workers in a specific sector. This would give care workers “new opportunities to progress in their careers”.