Care worker visa changes 'could overwhelm the NHS'

Changing visa rules for care workers could leave people without care and overwhelm the NHS, a care company boss claims.

Shweta Dowlot Maulayah said the government's proposed immigration reforms would leave her company, Maucare Services, in Gravesend, Kent, requiring an extra £15,000 annually per employee to retain staff.

"We are going to be losing lots of carers and this is going to create a massive gap," she told the BBC.

The government said it was "focusing on boosting domestic recruitment and retention" in the care sector.

The government last year closed a dedicated visa route for social care workers which was introduced during the Covid pandemic.

It plans to change the qualification criteria for a skilled worker visa and is consulting on proposed changes to the length of time people must stay in the UK before being eligible to stay permanently.

Maulayah said of the changes: "Lots of people will be going without care. The NHS is going to get overwhelmed."

She told the BBC the company she runs is "already really struggling to get local people to join the care industry because it's considered as a low pay job".

"People don't want to take that much responsibility" for low wages, she said.

The chief executive warned the company "might have to downsize" or "even to close down" as it was unlikely it could afford to pay higher wages required to qualify for new visas without an increase to the local price cap.

The government said it valued international care workers but "too many have seen unacceptable levels of abuse and exploitation".

"To stamp this out and to reduce reliance on international care workers, the government has put an end to overseas recruitment," a spokesperson said.

They added that "the first ever adult social care fair pay agreement" was being launched, along with improved training for carers.

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