Who cares? That is the question.

How the Health & Social Care visa is a step towards better care

The discovery that almost 100 care homes in the UK are unoccupied, sitting vacant or repurposed, whilst 37,000 elderly people have a need for residential care is a shocking revelation recently made recently by the Liberal Democrats.

Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats Health, and Social Care spokesperson, said “It is a badge of shame for this Government that care homes are lying empty while so many elderly and vulnerable people waiting for social care.”

Enough to cause previous governments to fall out of sheer incompetence perhaps?

Unfortunately, this fact is one of many which has been pushed aside like so many issues faced by the social care industry. The shocking fact that 37,000 aged individuals may be left uncared for hardly raises an eyebrow.

So, what is being done to improve elderly care? And what are the practical steps that employers in the health and social care industry can take to resolve some of the well documented skills and staffing issues that they continually face?

The Health & Care Visa

As a step towards helping to attract more professional health workers into the UK & Ireland the government created the Health and Care Visa, a specially devised route, designed to help fill thousands of critical roles across the health and social care industry. For individuals there is the option to pay for a fast-tracked visa in as little as 5 days, and an exception from the Immigration Health Surcharge.  Currently, holders of a UK Health and Social Care visa can also work additional hours in an eligible role without reporting this to the Home Office (note this will be capped at 20 additional hours on 27/0/23).

For care organisations, both within the public and private sector the Health and Care Visa route provides access to skilled workers from outside of the UK and the promise of fast-track entry means that vacancies in the industry can be filled sooner. So, how does a care company go about employing the skilled workers that they need?

Taking the first step, obtaining a Visa Sponsor Licence

Like all UK based companies, any health and social care business wishing to employ someone from outside of the UK or Ireland must first apply for and obtain a Visa Sponsor Licence. This important first step assesses that the company meets all expectations and has the right procedures and processes in place in order to manage and employ skilled workers via the visa and immigration route. This process can appear daunting and, for care businesses, already under staffing pressures, they may not have the time or resource available to manage the application process themselves.

How Visa & Immigration consultants can help

Organisations like UK Visas who are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner (OISC) specialise in helping both public and private sector organisations to employ the skilled workers they need via immigration. Firstly, they can help to simplify the process of obtaining a Sponsor Licence – evaluating your company’s eligibility, preparing all documentation, and assisting you with completing the online application to ensure it is free of errors before being submitted to the Home Office.

And, when it comes to recruitment our highly skilled OISC consultants will be with you every step of the way to ensure that applicants for Health and Social Care visas are all managed efficiently, meaning that they can be employed without delay.

In conclusion, while we cannot promise to resolve the issue of 37,000 people waiting for residential care, we are here to help care providers to obtain the Sponsor Licence which will enable them to source the skills and staff that they need which will work towards resolving this issue.

Our advisors have supported dozens of care businesses during the past few years, enabling them to successfully employ overseas health and social care workers. We are happy to answer questions about how this works for existing clients and explore how it could work for your care business.  Please get in touch with our advisors.