Two care home owners in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, have claimed that they would be incapable of managing their homes without the assistance of foreign workers. Lakshmy and Philip Pengelly, owners of Ashley Court Care Home, explained that a shortage of staff forced them to cut occupancy until the couple began to recruit offshore workers. They now employ six employees from India, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe. As Britain heads into an election season, political parties are expected to scrutinise immigration figures; socially-driven industries, including care, are increasingly reliant on workers from outside Europe.
Foreign care workers can now obtain a skilled worker visa valid in the UK following a government announcement in 2022. This move aimed to address the shortfall of care workers. It also allowed care home workers such as Mr and Mrs Pengelly to sponsor overseas hires and bring them to the United Kingdom. However, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) argued that while several industries are already reliant on foreign employees, the new visa rules exposed many migrant workers to exploitation.
The RCN explained that many members discussed how a low-wage or a strict contract, for example, obliging workers to work for a significant length of time, was used to bring people into the UK: exposed to poor accommodation and vulnerable situations. RCN Wales’ Helen Whyley stated that support from employers is essential. Since Mr and Mrs Pengelly employed their new staff, their recruits, including Prospa Mbwera from Zimbabwe, had never been visited by the Home Office.
Mr Mbwera, who was the first care worker hired by the Pengellys in 2022, spoke of his successful transition to Welsh culture while working as a carer before entering the UK. “To do this job, you need to have a kind heart. It’s a calling; you cannot care for someone if you are not kind,” he said. Over 78,000 immigrant workers received a skilled worker visa, enabling them to work in long-term care between 2022 and 2023 as immigration approached an all-time high.
Political parties in Wales have varying views on the issue. A life-saving step for health and social care services is migration, according to Plaid Cymru. The party states that Conservative UK government’s crack down on migration endangers valuable staffs if it continues. The Liberal Democrats said if care workers are valued as skilled professionals and employed with adequate payment, mass hiring of immigration would not be necessary. Conversely, Reform UK believes that foreign workers’ reliance stems from more significant care sector problems and immigration policies, stating that upskilling UK workers is the focus of its sustainable solution
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