My Dad died 15 months ago & spent last year of his life in a London nursing home. He was bed bound, blind, deaf, with dementia and various health issues.
Almost all his carers & nurses were non UK born and they were all brilliant. They treated my mother like family (and still do to this day) 1/3
I have no issue with trying to increase % of care workers born in Britain and to increase pay and improve working conditions.
But we must ALSO acknowledge the tremendous contribution that care workers from overseas have made and are making to our country and our most vulnerable citizens. 2/3
AND acknowledge that a large pool of British potential care workers is not readily apparent (~130K vacancies in care sector).
As the daughter of UK migrants, as someone who works with 1st & 2nd gen immigrants across health & academia, I am also v offended at language of "incalculable harm". 3/3
May 13, 2025 09:56I'm one of those whose arrival here was part of 'a sordid chapter' in the UK's history. Gearing up to do more 'incalculable damage' in the NHS tomorrow by (checking diary) running a specialist diagnostic lab test that I set up to help clinicians treat desperately ill patients in ICU.
And to be clear, my colleagues who immigrated here to work in other roles - e.g. cleaning, catering, nursing - are far more integral to keeping the NHS running than I am. But no, apparently we're now 'cheap foreign labour' that's 'tearing the country apart'.
I agree and to add the conditions and turnover at care homes is dire- my niece works in care home sector now and within 1 year of being there she is the longest standing member of care staff. In her institute- Breaks not funded and staff expected to attend staff meetings unpaid.
Could it be that British care workers aren't willing to work a pittance that these profit driven care home pay,
why don't the Gov incentivise councils to reopen the care homes that they shut down and pay a living wage to the workers ?
The language is appalling but the solution to those 130,000 vacancies isn’t migration as the 1.6m in the last two years demonstrates. It is as you point out greater pay. Migrants are neither the problem nor the solution to the current care crisis.
Labour’s language will backfire on them
The "incalculable harm" that has been inflicted on the UK is solely the work of the (quasi)-nazi grifter demagogues - BloJo, Trussterfuck, Starmer, Fartage, Rees-Fogg and the rest.
They are turning a beacon of civilisation into a Nazi cesspool.
many come here with qualificationsbut work in places such as care homes while they upgrade their qualifications to match UK standards.
i almost spat out my covfefe on sunday when i heard yvette cooper talk about low-skilled...
Couldn’t agree more Christina. Same is true of the wonderful carers for my mother-in-law. Yesterday was so depressing.
