Ending the supply of workers will leave vulnerable with no support

Commenting on government changes to the immigration system announced today (Tuesday), UNISON assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“These plans spell absolute disaster for the care sector. Care doesn’t even get a mention in the home secretary’s plans.

“Companies and councils can’t recruit enough staff from the UK so have to rely on care workers from elsewhere. But even with these migrant employees, there’s still way too few care workers to meet demand.

“Care work is highly skilled, but low paid, so falls foul of the government’s arbitrary immigration threshold.

“Suddenly ending this desperately needed supply of labour will cause huge problems across the country. The government simply has to think again.

“Ministers must make specific allowances for social care, or the elderly and the vulnerable could soon find themselves without support.

“The government needs to get to grips with social care urgently. It must fund care properly, with increased wages and training to make care an attractive career for UK residents and migrant workers alike.”