Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase in the Health and Care Worker visa salary threshold on the delivery of (a) NHS and (b) social care services in (i) Somerset and (ii) other rural areas.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions with My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department on a range of subjects, including immigration policy.

From 9 April 2025, the minimum salary for Health and Care Worker Visa holders increased to £25,000 per year. This applies to new Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after that date. No specific assessment has been made on the impact of this change on the delivery of National Health Service and social care services in Somerset and other rural areas.

Entry level NHS Agenda for Change band 3 roles do not meet the new minimum salary threshold for a Health and Care Worker visa. However, Agenda for Change NHS pay band 3 staff currently on the Health and Care Worker visa are not required to meet the new minimum salary threshold until the point at which they need to renew their visa. At this point, we expect the majority of staff to have accrued two or more years’ experience and therefore be at the top of pay band 3, which is above the new minimum salary threshold.

Information on the number of health and social care staff who are unable to renew their visas as a result of the new minimum salary threshold for the Health and Care worker visa is not collected centrally.

Whilst we hugely value our international workforce and the skills and experience they bring, we are also committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our NHS. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.

International recruitment has also played a valuable role in helping grow the adult social care (ASC) workforce and has given the health and care sectors the benefit of the skill and commitment of overseas workers who wish to work in the UK. However, it is the Government’s policy to reduce reliance on international recruitment in ASC and improve domestic recruitment and retention.

The Department monitors ASC workforce capacity, bringing together national data sets from Skills for Care’s monthly tracking data, the Capacity Tracker tool, and intelligence from key sector partners.

We will also use annual estimates of demographics within the ASC workforce from Skills for Care to monitor trends in the number of posts within the sector which are filled by British nationals, supplemented by additional intelligence.