Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has scrapped plans for migrant care workers already in UK to wait 15 years for permanent settlement. Let’s start off with the obvious. I do not want to be cared for by some random Nigerian who’s using the care system as a workaround to our immigration system who will later bring their families in. I especially do not want my loved ones in their care, especially when there is zero quality control. They are only here because care homes do not want to pay the going rate. They are taking the jobs of British people. They are scab labour.
This is especially bad because many, probably most, have inadequate training and language skills, and lack any cultural affinity necessary to properly understand the people in their care. Communication is as much about understanding cultural references and dialect, especially with the elderly.
Then we have the problem of rogue care homes whose standards are abysmal, mainly because they’re never inspected and won’t get caught. Councils have scaled back inspections, not least because of statutory obligations. There is a major scandal waiting to be uncovered by an enterprising journalist. My bet is that elder abuse is rampant.
Then there’s the broader point. I simply do not want more Africans in Britain. They are not culturally compatible, and when they’ve brought in their families they are not net contributors.
The only reason the job doesn’t attract British people is because there is no longer a structured career in the sector, with few opportunities to scale the ladder, with shit pay. The work is not respected when it is physically and emotionally draining work that pays less than McDonalds in many cases. The entire sector needs restructuring with district system with tied housing as an incentive - not least to increase retention and keep care workers on the same patch.
There should be a structured pay scale so that skilled care workers can move into management and into the top ranks of social services and local government. Many carers, often young women who take part time care work when they’re mothers, will develop a skill set and gain considerable experience, which should give them options to turn it either into a local authority career or go self-employed if they are highly rated and in demand.
We also need to address the role of private equity in the care sector. Our elderly are being used as cash cows and they aren’t getting value for money, especially if they’re cared for by a low IQ third worlder. If Labour are propping up this model with cheaper immigrant labour then they have abandoned their principles entirely. There is no excuse for letting visa scammers stay in Britain. Every person here on a care visa must leave when their visa expires. Indefinite leave to remain should be completely abolished.