Care workers recruited from overseas to fill critical roles in the UK are facing rising racist abuse amid a toxic immigration debate, industry insiders have warned. Staff are being advised to travel in racially mixed groups and carry panic alarms after a surge in reports of verbal abuse and spitting, according to Nadra Ahmed, executive chair of the National Care Association (NCA), which represents about 5,000 providers.
Ahmed said providers have reported staff feeling frightened to leave their cars and being intimidated by people standing near their vehicles. The NCA has advised workers not to leave buildings if they feel unsafe, but acknowledged this delays care for those waiting. Some providers are now sending two workers to properties, avoiding sending two black or Asian people together, and supplying personal alarms.
The rise in incidents comes as charities warn of growing intimidation and racial abuse. Ahmed noted a similar atmosphere to the Brexit period, with reports up about 80% compared to two years ago. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) said it receives three or four calls a week from migrant workers anxious about a “very toxic environment” since the summer, when previously all calls were about employer issues.
The government closed the post-Brexit sponsored care worker visa route in July, despite 130,000 vacancies in the sector. Ahmed said one provider had 80 applications for a job but no one attended interviews, and another lost seven overseas staff to Ireland. She warned the workforce crisis will intensify without a strategy, while “attacking the very workforce that’s willing to come.”
Maggie Kimani, 46, returned to Kenya in July after two years as a UK care worker, citing exploitation and racist abuse from a service user’s relative. She said: “The government opened the doors but you are being treated like you’re worthless.” Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, chief executive of the Work Rights Centre, said: “Hate crime increases when our leaders run with a politics of division.”
A government spokesperson said: “Racism and abuse are completely unacceptable and has no place in our society. To ensure a career in adult social care is respected and rewarded, we have provided a funding boost of up to £3.7bn to support social care authorities, announced a major £500m investment in a fair pay agreement.”
