Care and health providers highlight importance of overseas workers
UKHCA welcomes the formation of the Cavendish Coalition of social care and health representatives, created to ensure that sufficient numbers of workers are available following Britain’s exit from the EU (note 2).
The Coalition aims to assist those leading Brexit negotiations with expert knowledge of issues affecting the social care and health sector.
UKHCA has joined the Coalition because it believes that non-British nationals from the European Union and the rest of the world make a major contribution to the care and health workforce.
According to UKHCA’s figures, there are around 329,000 people employed as homecare workers in England (note 3). The Association estimates that 6.4% of the homecare workforce is made up of non-British EEA nationals. A further 9.3% of the workforce, are nationals from outside the EU (note 4).
Headcount data for homecare workers suggests that the impact of losing these workers would be felt most acutely in London and the South East, and the South West of England.
The Coalition is committed to securing the workforce needed to uphold quality in health and social care through:
• Supporting the economic as well as social health of the communities that it works with in through the creation of opportunities for training and employment.
• Promoting employment policy and practice which ensures that the UK is still able to attract essential skills from Europe and internationally to work in health and social care.
• Seeking assurance for those currently working in the UK by advocating for the right of the current health and social care workforce who come from the European Economic Area (EEA) members to stay here.
UKHCA’s Policy Director, Colin Angel, said:
“Workers from the EU and beyond bring a wealth of talent and experience to homecare services. Government has to assess the implications of Brexit for Social Care Services and make decisions that ensure a sufficiently large and skilled workforce.
“Social Care employers need reassurance that they can retain existing workers and can recruit with absolute confidence.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors
1. UKHCA is a member led professional association for homecare providers. Our mission is to promote high quality, sustainable care services so that people can continue to live at home and in their local community.
2. The Cavendish Coalition consists of 29 health and social care representative bodies including UKHCA.
3. Figures released in 2014/15 are taken from UKHCA’s ‘An Overview of the Domiciliary Care Market in the United Kingdom’ http://www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=109.
4. Headcount data for homecare workers in England was taken from the National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC) and the ‘The size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ which was published by Skills for Care, July 2016. https://www.nmds-sc-online.org.uk/Get.aspx?id=971293.
The data shows that:-
• In London almost a third (31%) of front-line homecare employees are non-British non-EEA nationals and 14% are non-British EEA nationals.
• In the East of England region, 10% of the care staff are non-British non-EEA with 8% coming from the EU.
• Non-British non-EEA employees make up 7% of the front-line homecare workforce in the South East, with 10% non-British EEA doing the same in the region.
• In the South West region, 3% of the careworkers are Non-British non-EEA and 9% are non-British EEA.
5. For further information please contact:
Michelle Gederon, Press Officer
United Kingdom Homecare Association Ltd
Sutton Business Centre, Restmor Way, Wallington, SM6 7AH
Telephone: 020 8661 8165
Mobile: 07393 012 113
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ukhca.co.uk
Registered in England, No. 3083104.
