Immigration system 'falls short' of nursing workforce needs

The Royal College of Nursing has expressed concern that the new Health and Care Visa falls short of what is required to meet the workforce needs of the health and social care sectors.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said that the new Health and Care Visa will make the process of applying for a visa swifter and cheaper for registered nurses applying to work in the NHS or social care sector from overseas, but crucially won’t be beneficial for many health and social care staff ineligible for the Tier 2 (General) visa route.

Confirming there would be no special treatment for carers coming from the EU or the rest of the world, the government said it hoped Britons would fill a shortfall of around 120,000 workers, equating to 10 per cent of all posts. Currently, 17 per cent of care jobs are filled by foreign citizens.

Dame Donna Kinnair, RCN chief executive, said: “Once again, we are disappointed to see the government’s plans for the UK’s future immigration system falling short of what is required to meet the workforce needs of the health and social care sectors, now and in the future. The government is ignoring our concern that we need an appropriate immigration route for social care workers. Arbitrary salary thresholds will prevent key workers from working in the UK, which will directly impact patient care.

“The pandemic has revealed how reliant the NHS is on good social care and vice versa – they cannot be viewed as separate services. The care system has been heavily reliant on international staff, and the proposals continue to ignore the significant risk to this sector, and therefore the entire health and care system across the UK.”