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Press release

'By shutting out overseas staff, the government has increased the pressure on itself to urgently develop and fund reforms' to the care sector: The King's Fund responds to new immigration rules

Commenting on the new list of occupations eligible for the health and care visa (Annex D, p 68), Suzie Bailey, Director of Leadership and Organisational Development at The King’s Fund, said:

‘International staff are a crucial part of the adult social care workforce, where one in six staff have a non-British nationality. Around half of these international staff come from the European Union, so the end of freedom of movement already risked significant staff shortages. With today’s announcement, the government has firmly closed the door to frontline social care workers from overseas. In a sector where around 8 per cent of posts are already vacant, recruiting and retaining domestic staff is now more important than ever.

‘By shutting out overseas staff, the government has increased the pressure on itself to urgently develop and fund reforms that make the care sector a better-paid and more attractive place to develop a career. This will require an unprecedented pace and scale of investment, and even then workforce shortages are likely to get worse before they get better as new immigration rules will come into force before reforms can realistically be implemented.’

Notes to editors

For further information, or to request an interview, please contact the Press and Public Affairs team on 07584 146035 or [email protected].

The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. We help to shape policy and practice through research and analysis; develop individuals, teams and organisations; promote understanding of the health and social care system; and bring people together to learn, share knowledge and debate. Our vision is that the best possible health and care is available to all.