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News Lords Committee raises social care visa concerns


A cross-party House of Lords committee has raised concerns about government plans to restrict health and social care visas. In its 16th


Report of Session 23-24, the


House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee called on the government to provide more information about the effect of the changes, which took effect in February. The changes remove the provision for most dependants to accompany or join workers coming to the UK to work in the health and care sectors, and narrows the range of jobs in England for which migrant workers can be sponsored, reducing it from all posts in the care sector to only those where the sponsor is registered with the CQC. The committee has written to the Home Office to seek further information and clarification on the concerns raised. The correspondence will be published in a future report.


Committee member Baroness Randerson


said: “We recognise that these changes are intended to address concerns about levels of legal migration. However, there is alarm among social care providers about the impact of these changes: the care sector is already struggling to recruit sufficient workers and is worried these measures could make things worse. “The government says that the dependant ban will not reduce the number of immigrant workers, but it has not provided evidence to back this up. This means it is impossible for


Parliament to assess the effects of the changes properly and the sector is also left in the dark. “Whenever the government lays legislation which has the potential to affect the effectiveness of a sector and has real world consequences for the public at large, it must provide information on the impact. This is a principle the government has accepted but does not always observe in practice and we are writing to the Home Office to ask for further details.”


Skills for Care publishes nursing in social care guidance


Skills for Care has published new guidance to support the development of social care nursing placement opportunities. The guidance was published in


collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care and Deborah Sturdy, chief nurse for social care. It can be used by employers, practice assessors, and practice supervisors who are responsible for assessing and providing learning opportunities for student nurses and nursing associates across the adult social care sector. It covers the practicalities of how organisations can host student nurse placements and the advantages for organisations of doing so.


The guidance also includes insights from


universities and care providers about the importance of social care nursing placements in developing nursing professionals as a valued part of pre-registration nursing programmes and ultimately the provision of high-quality care for people who draw on care and support across the health and care system. There is an increasing demand for social care nursing professionals, and the


“Undergraduate placements, across a


provision of effective social care placements for student nurses and nursing associates is vital in attracting and growing the future social care nursing workforce. Skills for Care’s latest data shows that in 2022/23, there were an estimated 33,000 registered nurse filled posts in the adult social care sector. In addition to registered nurses, in 2022/23 there were 750 registered nursing associate filled posts. The vacancy rate for registered nurses was 11.3 per cent. Deborah Sturdy, chief nurse for adult social care, said: “Lived experience is critical to understanding what it means to be a social care nurse and taking full advantage of the opportunities offered by this amazing profession.


variety of care settings, are the best way to create the next generation of social care nurses and nursing associates, equipped with the skills, knowledge, and intuition to deliver exceptional care.” Claire Leenhouwers, national professional lead – nursing, Skills for Care, commented: “Social care nursing placements are something I’ve been passionate about for a long time. “Whilst we recognise the challenges for smaller social care organisations compared to setting up placements in larger providers and NHS Trusts, there are real opportunities for quality practice placement experiences that meet the needs of students and the providers. This will ensure a future nursing profession that has the skills and experience to work across a system to meet support expectations for care. “At Skills for Care, we’re committed to ensuring social care nursing placements are recognised and valued for the wealth of opportunities they offer students and staff, as learning is a two-way process.”


April 2024 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


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