We often report on the care staffing crisis that has long been evident in the United Kingdom and due to the pandemic has been further exacerbated. Factors that are driving this crisis focus on rates of pay, workload pressures and employee burnout. The sector faces high employee turnover and as recently reported by industry body, Skills for Care, Unfilled care jobs rose by 52% in a year, the fastest rate on record.

What are the government doing to solve this crisis?

In February 2022 the government introduced temporary measures to tackle the care sector staffing issue, by adding care workers to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). Being on the SOL means employers can sponsor employees with the relevant skills from overseas. This policy change was recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) as a short-term solution to the growing pressures on the sector.

How much does it cost to sponsor a care worker’s visa?

For a care home to sponsor overseas care workers they must obtain a Skilled Worker sponsor license. This process is complex and your business must meet multiple criteria. There are also significant costs associated with getting the license and we’ve outlined these below.

Employer Costs

  • Employers need a Sponsor Licence - £536 (Small enterprises) or £1,475 (Medium and large)
  • For each overseas employee, £199 to be paid for a Cert of Sponsorship
  • They possibly will need to pay an Immigrants Skills Charge, £364 (Small enterprise year 1) then £182 (Small enterprise year 2) or £1000 (Medium and large enterprise year 1) then £500 (Medium and large enterprise year 2)

Employee Costs

  • Health and Care Worker Visa, 1-3 years £247 or 3+ years £479
  • Expedite decision (5 working days), £500 - £800
  • Potential TB tests £100-£150
  • Potential English language test - £180-£200

How long does it take for the application to be processed?

You must be prepared to wait several weeks for your application to be processed before the first sponsored employee can begin work. They may take up to 8 eights and potentially longer if the documentation provided is incorrect or if the Home Office decides to visit your business as part of their pre-license approval process.

Is this suitable for your recruitment strategy?

Care home managers may consider becoming a licensed sponsor as a crucial part of their recruitment strategy. But this is not the only feasible plan for developing employee recruitment and retention. We often share blogs on how to recruit bank staff and retain those to ensure continuity of care for your residents and/or patients. For example, focusing and investing in staff’s career development within the care sector.

To encourage staff to join your team offer incentivised referral programmes with your current workforce and attract team members through word of mouth. It’s so important to support your residents with effective caregivers whilst also ensuring your team is supported professionally, emotionally and mentally.

Recruiting overseas is not the long-term answer to staffing shortages. By futureproofing your care home by adopting digital technologies, and implementing effective recruiting strategies, you will be supporting local communities and building a strong network of care and bank staff. With the unpredictability of visas and overseas staff who may want to return to their country of origin, adopting a localised recruitment strategy will aid the continuity of your care home and reduce friction between permanent staff and bank staff.

How can Locate bank management support my care home?

Our product suite offers many different features that aid the management of your business. First and foremost our Rota and Leave features to allow you to manage gaps in the rota with ease and reduce administrative tasks. This is achieved through our app which allows all bank staff to be notified of shifts through push notifications. When alerted staff can accept or decline shifts which gives you instant feedback on their availability.

You can also manage your staff compliance requirements from certificates to insurance. This feature is perfect to support CQC investigations as you don’t have to search through paper trails as the information is all available in one place. In addition to these features, you can also utilise the Reports feature on all your activity within the platform. These reports allow you to make data-driven decisions.

Contact Us

If you’re looking to find out more about how Locate can help support your recruitment and retention strategies contact us here. Our team will be able to demonstrate to you our platform in action and each of our product solutions that will make your life, and your teams, easier. Julie Beacom from Inspired2Care said that we helped solve challenges “that existed for decades” in care. Find out more about the results Inspired2Care received here.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!
Locate a Locum Team