Immigration: Migrant workers ‘desperately needed’ in care homes

A spokesperson for Plaid Cymru said: “Migration is integral to keeping our health and social care services running, and the Conservative UK government’s crackdown on migration is placing people’s lives at stake.

“It’s clear that the Tories’ reckless, rushed, and reactionary plans are having real consequences on care provision, as well as endangering the lives of valuable staff members. This is unacceptable.

“Plaid Cymru support the health and social care workforce in Wales, whatever their country of origin. Instead of demonising people for not being born in Wales or in the UK, we should acknowledge and appreciate their contribution to our communities, public services, and economy in Wales.”

A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats said “Conservative neglect” had put care homes in their current position.

“If the government paid care workers properly and valued them as skilled professionals, it wouldn’t need to bring in tens of thousands of care workers from abroad,” they said.

“Any reports of worker exploitation should be properly investigated. And ultimately, the crisis in our social care system has got to be fixed, once and for all. Liberal Democrats are committed to making it easier to recruit British workers to fill these vacancies, including our call for a Carers Minimum Wage.”

A spokesperson for Reform UK said the party recognised the “critical role” care workers played in supporting healthcare and issues with staffing.

“However, we believe that the reliance on migrant workers is a symptom of broader issues within the care sector and immigration policy,” they said.

“With more than 78,000 overseas workers receiving long-term visas to work in care between 2022 and 2023, it’s clear that immigration is at unprecedented levels.

“Reform UK’s policy is to freeze non-essential immigration to ease pressure on housing, public services, and wages. We believe that reducing dependency on overseas labor and focusing on upskilling our domestic workforce is the sustainable solution.”