Since the introduction of the Health and Care Worker visa (GOV.UK) which has allowed organisations to apply for a licence to sponsor care staff from overseas, we have seen increased capacity in the Surrey market. Thank you to all providers who have recruited staff to support the most vulnerable in our county.
There are some issues that we would like to make providers aware of.
Matching capacity with demand
Recently, providers reporting excess capacity and care staff with no work has increased. Work packages are awarded based on need, not the staff capacity. We cannot guarantee to award you the level of package or hours to match your staffing levels. We also have no responsibility to make sure overseas staff have the hours they need to meet their sponsorship requirements.
We urge all providers to only sponsor overseas staff to fill genuine vacancies. You must be sure they will have the necessary level of work and hours. Do not recruit on a speculative basis.
If you are considering growth, contact commissioners or other sector leads before recruiting. They will be able to tell you their future workforce requirements.
Compliant and safe recruitment
There has been a rise in reported cases of modern slavery and care worker abuse. This has been because of clear and alleged poor employment practices both nationally and within Surrey. Surrey Police report allegations of abuse or non-compliant practice to our commissioners. This often presents us with difficulties. We must balance keeping our residents and staff safe with potentially needing to prepare to respond to risks around continuity of care provision or provider failure or disruption. Due to the sensitive nature, we may not always be able to discuss these active investigations with those involved.
Surrey Police have updated their information regarding modern slavery including how to:
- tackle reported issues of modern slavery
- find ways to protect themselves from malicious claims – see Modern slavery
You can report modern slavery to us using our online crime reporting service.
You can also call us on 101 at any time. If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service on 18001 101.
If you suspect someone is in immediate danger, call 999 now. To report a suspicion or get advice you can contact the Modern Slavery Helpline confidentially on 08000 121 700.
If you want to remain anonymous you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Alternatively, contact Surrey Police Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit on msoic@surrey.police.uk or Report suspected cases of modern slavery to the Gang and Labour Abuse Authority.
We would like to thank providers for continuing to share accurate information about the numbers of staff recruited from overseas in the monthly Key Performance Indicators return. Please continue to raise any issues or concern you may have with:
as appropriate.
Also please now in the first instance consider recruiting displaced workers prior to bringing workers into the UK as due to issues encountered within the industry there are a high level of sponsored workers who require a new sponsor, Support offer to international adult social care workers whose employer's sponsor licence has been revoked - GOV.UK published 13 March 2025.
As of April 2, 2025, South East Social Care Alliance (SESCA) has updated its information regarding international recruitment, emphasizing the priority of recruiting overseas care workers already in the UK before recruiting from abroad, effective from April 9, 2025. See SESCA international recruitment hub.
From 9 April 2025, care providers wishing to sponsor overseas care workers must prioritise those already in the UK before recruiting from abroad. This policy aims to support thousands of "displaced" care workers who lost their jobs due to their former sponsors having their licences revoked.
Any adult social care provider looking to sponsor a new overseas care worker must now provide evidence that:
- they have first tried to recruit an overseas care worker who is already in the UK
- no suitable local candidate was available
Relevant guidance and legislation
- Code of practice for the international recruitment of health and social care personnel in England (GOV.UK). This is the code of practice that should be followed by all social care recruiters
- Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors (GOV.UK). December 2024 This details the duties of a sponsor and what UKVI will do to check procedures and when they may revoke a licence. This has already happened with some providers
- Immigration: Skilled Worker visas - National Audit Office report – published 17 March 2025
- Right to work checklist - GOV.UK updated 17 March 2025
- New rules to prioritise recruiting care workers in England - GOV.UK – published 12 March 2025
For further information see:
- Overseas recruitment bite-size guide for social care providers in England for guidance for social care recruiters. Register of licensed sponsors: workers (GOV.UK) to check if an organisation has a sponsorship licence. The list is updated daily
- Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors part 3: sponsor duties and compliance - GOV.UK Please use this Updated Home Office guidance information to update your knowledge around compliance when recruiting from overseas
- International recruitment toolkit for adult social care providers 19th November 2024 has been developed to help adult social care providers decide whether to recruit care workers and senior care workers from overseas