AIBU to think banning new international recruitment of staff for care homes is bonkers? [Title edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

i don’t think it’s luck. IMO, DD1 has been under care agencies or at residential placements, where they chose the care staff carefully. All the residential placements but one were charities, where mobile phones don’t work. DD1 had 1:2 or 1:1 staffing in her waking hours, since age 16. There are two shifts in the day time, so staff are working 7 - 8 hour shifts. I think the night staff work 10 hour shifts, but it’s not hands on work most of the night. They are mainly watching monitors in an office, and it might be 2:3.

Of course they do. It's a lot more money for them compared to their original country and a much better lifestyle.

@1dayatatime That’s just above the going rate here. Three I looked at for DM were around this. Failing ones were lower but the expensive ones had one vacancy. They were not half empty! I suspect the more expensive homes did r have LA clients. They did have a lovely atmosphere, stable staff and decent food, good rooms and very pleasant gardens. Basically very good homes. I have no doubt staff liked working there and were paid well enough.

Do you think overseas carers want to be carers or want to live in the UK?
Pay and conditions improvement is the way forward

Lucky you then !

@BlueandWhitePorcelain

"@foreverblowingbubbless I have come across hundreds of care staff for DD, and I have never come across abysmal British born care staff"

Despite the prejudiced views of some posters the reality is that there will be good and bad carers irrespective of the person's nationality or skin colour.

I have lived in many foreign countries and I know what I have seen. I live in the Uk and have seen some of the abysmal British born care staff.

@foreverblowingbubbless I have come across hundreds of care staff for DD, and I have never come across abysmal British born care staff.

@TalkToTheHand123

"I'd say you may quite possibly need a few more qualifications to be a nuse, copper or teacher than a carer!"

Yes you are correct different jobs need different levels of qualifications, however the point was about mindsets rather than qualifications.

There are many nurses, police and teachers who may be perfectly qualified but don't have the right mindset for the job.

Way cool - a thread full of left wing posters defending the right of care home operators to continue making high profits by importing low cost labour rather than do what most other employers do when unable to fill vacancies- raise the salary.

Way cool, a thread full of people clamouring to pay much higher taxes.

I want the right people working in care ... people who care and have the right qualities for the job regardless of where they come from.
"Pressed wo/men" hoovered in from the ranks of the unemployed who get the job because they are British born will not cut the mustard. They must be the right people.

Yep, the Job Centre can't insist you go get a nursing degree so you can become a nurse.
If you already have a nursing qualification, can they insist you apply for nursing jobs though? I am thinking of, for example, someone who has left nursing and is now unemployed.

As I said it wasn't even my post but you do you if it makes you happy !

I'd say you may quite possibly need a few more qualifications to be a nuse, copper or teacher than a carer!

There are so many care jobs though, even a small increase would be massively costly.

@NeedASafeSpace

"Care is seen as job anyone can do, and a sector where they are so desperate, they will take on anyone."

The reason they are so desperate and have so many vacancies is that salaries are so low and working conditions so bad.

Improve both enough and they will have no problem filling the roles. That's how a free labour market works and not seeking a cheap short cut of importing cheap labour to keep profits up.

@foreverblowingbubbless

"Don't try to make me out to be racist. It's a weak and lazy argument."

Sorry but describing people as better suited to certain roles based on their nationality/ skin colour rather than their individual character and qualifications is clear cut racism, regardless of your own personal experience (or prejudice).

The job centre wont make you go into those jobs though.
Care is seen as job anyone can do, and a sector where they are so desperate, they will take on anyone.

@HamptonPlace

"Also, immigrants are far far more likely to be hard workers than the homegrown na're-do-wells...."

Jeez and I thought that the accusation was that Reform and the right wing were supposed to be the racists.

Added to which is the elitist attitude where you are willing to write off 9 million economically inactive Jobs K citizens as unemployable. Maybe I have more belief in my fellow citizens.

Ah the old racism dig 🙄Firstly that was not MY post or words however I did agree with it from my personal experiences with older relatives.

I have lived in many foreign countries and I know what I have seen. I live in the Uk and have seen some of the abysmal British born care staff.

The reason the Philippines was mentioned is because there is an active policy of recruitment from that country because of their SKILLS in particular training and English language. I have no idea of this goes on in other countries - perhaps you can enlighten me?

Don't try to make me out to be racist. It's a weak and lazy argument.

@Katiesaidthat

"Care is gruelling and a person not in the right frame of mine will snap, and snap with the most vulnerable people."

Same could be said for nursing, police, teaching etc. All of which deal with vulnerable people, the difference is that these jobs pay more.

But in short different jobs require different mindsets.

@TizerorFizz

"@HamptonPlace You ain’t seen nothing yet if Reform get in. You might not like the Tories but immigrants have kept prices down. Can you afford care home fees of £5,500 a month or do you expect others to pay for you?"

"The best cure for high prices is high prices ".

If care home fees increased to £5,500 per month then demand would drop significantly. Care homes would then have the choice of cutting their fees or closing up shop.

Also if the rational for using immigrants is to keep prices down, then given that a key incentive for many migrants is to do the job in order to get permanent residency / citizenship, then would you support removing minimum wage requirements on migrant labour as many would still do it on lower wages in order to get residency/ citizenship?

@foreverblowingbubbless

"I think even if care workers and care staff were paid more, this country does not have the culture of respect for older people and by this short sighted decision based on pandering to racists who are turning to reform, we will have to rely on being poorly treated or neglected as we age"

So do you think it is just Filipinos that are suited to working in care homes by having a "culture of respect for older people " or are there other SE Asian nationalities as well?

Also what jobs in the do you think are best suited to say white people or black people?

Maybe you might need to check your own levels of racism before accusing others?

I entirely prefer the tories over over Farage, they're not ENTIRELY insane! But i don't think the tories are fit to govern, the far right tail is wagging the dog IMHO.

@HamptonPlace You ain’t seen nothing yet if Reform get in. You might not like the Tories but immigrants have kept prices down. Can you afford care home fees of £5,500 a month or do you expect others to pay for you?