Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Deferred
Home Office expanded care worker visas rapidly without completing a prior impact assessment.
Conclusion
The Home Office told us it had to respond quickly to the acute needs in the care sector workforce in the wake of the pandemic.36 Reflecting a report from the Migration Advisory Committee, which highlighted the need to temporarily develop the route to bring more care workers into the country, the Home Office worked with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to introduce two new job codes for care workers. The Home Office said it had to move at pace to implement the government’s decision, which meant that it did not produce an impact assessment before making the changes.37
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the observation and states it will write separately to the Committee on the specific point of the impact assessment, while also outlining DHSC's ongoing monitoring of the care workforce.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: October 2025 3.2 The government will write separately to the Committee on this point as requested. 3.3 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: July 2028 3.4 DHSC monitors trends in the size of the care workforce using a range of intelligence, including monthly tracking based on data collection from independent providers. 3.5 DHSC also uses annual estimates of demographics within the Adult Social Care workforce to monitor trends in the number of posts within the sector which are filled by British nationals, supplemented by additional intelligence.