Care Forum Wales (CFW) is worried about new UK immigration rules. These rules make it hard for people coming to work in care jobs in the UK to bring their families.
The BBC News says that people who speak for care homes think these changes might cause more care homes in Wales to close.
A spokesperson said, “More care homes in Wales might close because of the UK government’s new immigration rules.“
Cartref Bryn Yr Eglwys, a care home in Pentrefoelas, needs workers from other countries because there aren’t enough local people applying for the jobs.
The Current Situation
A care home manager says that not enough local people are interested in care jobs, so they have to hire people from other countries. The UK government wants to lower immigration and train more local workers.
But the changes are causing problems because care homes still need staff from other countries.
Recent numbers show that applications to work in UK care homes dropped by 80% in the first part of 2024 compared to last year. In 2023, applications grew from 58% in 2022 to 75% in 2023.
Since March, new rules have stopped people moving to the UK for care jobs from bringing their families.
Cartref Bryn Yr Eglwys, in Conwy county, depends heavily on workers from abroad.
Manager Meryl Welsby says it’s hard to find local workers and that the new rules make it even harder.
Welsby said, “We’ve been trying to hire local people for years, but no one applies. No one wants to work weekends or nights, so the job isn’t appealing.“
She wondered how they would find workers if they can’t hire from abroad.
Kim Ombler, a care home owner in Anglesey and spokesperson for Care Forum Wales, said the new rules could cause big problems, like closing care homes if they can’t find both international and local workers.
CFW also talked about problems with the process to sponsor care workers. The UK government says its plan to lower immigration includes training local people better to replace foreign workers.
But this plan isn’t working well because care homes still need workers from other countries.
What To Know
A spokesperson for the Welsh government knows that finding and keeping staff in social care is hard. They worry about the UK Conservative government stopping care workers from bringing their families, but there isn’t enough data to see the full impact yet.
The spokesperson is happy that the UK government wants to talk with local administrations about these issues.