Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what detailed assessment they have undertaken of the potential impact on recruitment into the social care system of requiring that UK citizens must be earning at least £38,700 to sponsor foreign family members to get a family visa; how many social care positions are currently vacant in the UK; and what impact an under-staffed social care system with too few care beds will have on the ability of NHS hospitals to discharge patients in need of social care, and the consequent effect on (1) hospital waiting lists, and (2) A&E waiting times.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department has committed to put estimates of the impact of these announcements in the House of Commons Library. This will be done in due course.

According to Skills for Care, the total number of vacancies in 2022/23 was 152,000, a decrease of 11,000 or 7% of vacant posts from 2021/22. It is important to note vacancies are not necessarily a good measure of workforce capacity or of levels of need in social care. Vacancies include posts that are vacant in the short term due to recent or anticipated staff turnover and posts created by employers who want to expand and grow their businesses rather than only roles needed to meet statutory entitlements.

This Government is investing an additional £600 million this year, and £1 billion next year through the Discharge Fund. This funding will enable the National Health Service and local authorities in England to reduce discharge delays, including by commissioning additional packages of care and support for rehabilitation and reablement.

In September, alongside £200 million to boost resilience in the NHS, we announced a £40 million fund, targeted at local authorities in the most challenged NHS systems in England. This fund will strengthen urgent and emergency care resilience and performance this winter by preventing avoidable admissions or by reducing discharge delays.