Brexit could lead to over 100,000 fewer care workers by 2026

Millions of elderly and disabled will be the losers post-Brexit, as new analysis reveals ending freedom of movement could lead to 115,000 fewer care workers in England from the European Union.

New analysis of official figures by think tank Global Future reveals this would be the case if the UK applies similar immigration restrictions on European workers to those currently placed on people from outside the EU.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics projects that by 2026 there will be 1.5 million more people aged 75 or over.

Global Future's analysis reveals that without free movement the UK would need to fill 380,000 extra care jobs just to keep up with England's ageing population.

There are currently 222,000 care workers in England from overseas. There are also 90,000 unfilled social care vacancies and a vacancy rate of 6.6 per cent - compared to the labour market average of 2.5 per cent.

Global Future’s new report: '100,000 carers missing: How ending free movement could spell disaster for elderly and disabled people' shows new immigration restrictions and no change in social care recruitment, could see the ratio of care worker to people over the age of 75 rise by 26 per cent (from 3.4 in 2017 to 4.3 by 2026).

Peter Starkings, director of Global Future, said: “Ending free movement after Brexit would cause a social care workforce crisis.

"Social care is already overstretched, and cutting the number of care staff by 100,000 would have a direct impact on the quality of life of elderly and disabled people.

“Low-skilled workers from the EU are an easy target for politicians, but we rely on them to do vital jobs supporting our elderly and disabled loved ones in care homes and in the community. Without them our social care system would quite simply be unable to function."

He called on new Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock to "make it a priority to protect the adult social care sector – and our elderly and disabled citizens who need care – by fighting and winning a battle within government to allow European workers to continue to work as carers".