🎙️ Brexit, Pay and the Care Workforce Crisis: David Smallacombe on BBC Radio Bristol

 

Today (19th May 2025), our CEO David Smallacombe was back on BBC Radio Bristol to discuss the enduring staffing crisis in adult social care and the far-reaching impacts of Brexit, low pay, and rising costs for providers.

List back to the full interview below:

Reflecting on the post-Brexit landscape, David noted that before 2020, 7–10% of care staff came from EU countries. With the end of freedom of movement, many EU nationals stopped applying and some already working in the UK left altogether. “The message that went out was: we're not interested in you working here,” David explained. “That hit us hard.”

While 27,000 visas have recently been issued for international care workers, new immigration rules are set to make overseas recruitment harder and more expensive at a time when 130,000 vacancies remain unfilled across the sector. But as David pointed out, “UK nationals do not apply for care roles” in significant numbers, largely because pay is simply not competitive.

“You can earn £2–5 more an hour in retail or hospitality. Until that changes, people won't come into care,” he said.

The conversation also touched on the rising financial pressures faced by providers, including:

  • The April 2025 increase in the National Minimum Wage,

  • The rise in employers' National Insurance contributions, and

  • A lower earnings threshold for part-time workers.

“These all add up,” David warned. “Providers are questioning if their businesses are sustainable. If they go under, local authorities will be left responsible—but they’re already stretched and in many cases near bankruptcy.”

This was another honest and urgent call to recognise the real economic forces shaping care. Without real reform, both providers and local authorities face impossible choices.

📢 We’d love to hear from you:
Has Brexit affected your ability to recruit or retain staff?
Are the rising costs threatening your sustainability?
Share your thoughts in the comments below or email us directly.

 
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