Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 15
15
We are concerned that lower qualified social care workers and those without qualifications at all...
Recommendation
We are concerned that lower qualified social care workers and those without qualifications at all are not eligible for the new NHS visa, not least because it undermines parity of esteem between the health and social care sectors. The Government should accept the MAC’s recent recommendation to add senior social care workers to the shortage occupation list. We welcome the MAC’s plans to conduct further research on the social care workforce: this research should consider the impact of new immigration rules on the ability of care providers to recruit to less senior roles. (Paragraph 73) Longer term reform of social care funding
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
7.28 Within the social care workforce, nurses, occupational therapists and social workers are eligible for the Health and Care Visa. Additionally, we are reviewing the list of eligible occupations since the launch of the expanded skills threshold under the new Skilled Worker route. This may mean roles such as senior care workers and registered managers that meet the skills and salary thresholds will be eligible. 7.29 We recognise that occupations which do not meet the skills and salary thresholds such as direct care roles will not be eligible for the sponsored Skilled Worker visa, although we can expect there will continue to be some flow of EU workers into these roles where individuals have a right to work by virtue of family connections or a generic right to work through a different immigration route, for example a youth mobility scheme. 7.30 We are clear immigration can no longer be a solution to recruitment challenges for these roles, and it will be imperative for employers and local authorities to ensure jobs in social care are attractive to local people with clear routes for progression. 7.31 During the passage of the Immigration and Social Security Coordination (Withdrawal) Act 2020, in response to an amendment from Lord Rosser, the Government committed to commission and publish an independent review into the impact of ending free movement on the social care sector. We will commission and publish this research in due course.