Watch my reaction to the government's decision to scrap visa routes for care workers

“We are both baffled and deeply concerned by the government’s decision to revoke the visa route for social care workers. It is harrowing to witness such a critical sector continuously overlooked – and now deal yet another decisive blow.”

That was how the COO and Founder of Totnes-based CareYourWay Franchising reacted to the government’s new immigration rules – and he wasn’t the only one to express concern.

Alarm bells rang across the care industry over how these proposals will impact a sector where foreign workers are essential to keep basic services running.

Scrapping this visa route is one thing. But to do so while also promising to establish a fast-track settlement process for engineers and AI experts because they “genuinely contribute to society” is a real kick in the teeth for a care sector, which, with an aging population, is becoming more important than ever.

If the government is to go ahead with these plans, it must do so in conjunction with a strategy to address the chronic recruitment and retainment challenges the care sector faces.

The Liberal Democrats have long called for a Carer’s Minimum Wage to make it easier to recruit British workers to fill vacancies in the care sector.  

 Implementing this must be part of the government’s plans – or else I’m worried we’ll end up with massive care worker shortages and no credible plan to fill them.