MP Angus MacDonald warns Highland care sector at risk of collapse due to Labour plans to curb migration as Parklands Care Homes slams ‘ill-conceived’ proposals
Labour’s new migration plans aimed at curbing immigration could trigger the collapse of the Highland care sector, MP Angus MacDonald has warned.
The UK government’s proposals to cut legal migration include banning the recruitment of care workers from overseas, tightening access to skilled worker visas and raising costs to employers.
The government will also aim to scrap a visa scheme that allows firms to hire health and social care workers from overseas.
The Immigration Skills Charge will increase by 32 per cent, leading smaller firms to pay up to £2400 to sponsor workers to come to the UK, while large firms will pay up to £6,600.
It would mark another major Labour government blow to Highland care operators after the hike in employer national insurance contributions and has also been met with swift criticism.
Highland MSPs like Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes also slammed the development as it Maree Todd.
“It’s right that the government is taking steps to ensure the immigration system works for our country,” Mr MacDonald said.
“However, this must be coupled with a clear plan to make it easier to recruit British workers to fill vacancies instead - including implementing our Carer’s Minimum Wage - to ensure these changes don’t have unintended consequences”.
In April, he published a report into social care in the Highlands that found the region is facing a severe staffing crisis driven by poor pay, lack of accommodation and limited local workforce supply.
The report also revealed that demographic pressure increased rapidly between 2001 and 2023 when the over 75 population surged by 72 per cent as the number of care homes fell by nearly 20 per cent.
Mr MacDonald said: “The rural Highlands is in a difficult demographic position with many elderly and few young.
“This results in a large demand for workers in the care sector without the local population to do so. Without a substantial number of workers from overseas, both care at home and care homes will be unable to function.”
Ron Taylor, Managing Director of the Parklands Care Homes group, went further slamming the proposals as “dangerously short-sighted” and “ill-conceived”.
Mr Taylor said: "The UK Government’s plan to ban overseas care worker recruitment is dangerously short-sighted. Around 10 per cent of our workforce are sponsored from overseas — they are skilled, dedicated professionals who are vital to our care homes and many others across the Highlands.
"We are fully committed to growing our local workforce, but the reality is that, particularly in remote and rural areas, domestic recruitment alone cannot meet the growing demand for care. International staff are an essential part of the solution.
"This policy, coming so soon after the hike in employer National Insurance contributions, is yet another blow to a sector already under strain after years of underfunding by the Scottish Government. It risks pushing an already fragile system to breaking point.
"We urge the UK Government to rethink this ill-conceived proposal before it causes lasting harm to the care sector and those who depend on it. Instead of restricting access to essential staff, we need long-term investment in both domestic and international recruitment – not more barriers.”
