Care homes across Gwent face the prospect of having to turn away elderly dementia patients as warnings mount about a looming workforce shortage.

The warning comes from Mario Kreft, chairman of Care Forum Wales, who says tighter immigration rules and the removal of visa pathways are threatening vital staffing levels.

The organisation represents more than 400 independent and voluntary care providers.

Mr Kreft said overseas care workers are not a luxury but the backbone of many services across Wales. He warned that removing them would cause the whole system to collapse. He expressed that calling care workers low-skilled is genuinely insulting, and that providing support to someone with dementia in the early hours or managing complex medical needs requires skill, compassion and commitment. He described these as dedicated, well-trained people who answered Wales’s call during the pandemic and deserve gratitude and support.

He pointed out that care organisations have spent significantly on international recruitment and are required to pay these workers more than the Real Living Wage given to domestic staff, countering suggestions they represent cheap labour.

Mr Kreft also warned that without a proper visa route, more homes would have to reduce their services or close completely, adding pressure to the health service. He said the next Welsh administration cannot simply claim immigration is someone else’s problem. He cautioned that if social care collapses entirely, the NHS will face catastrophic consequences. He noted Scotland has shown what is possible and that Wales should follow suit, take control of sponsorship and make clear that care workers are welcome in the nation.

Care Forum Wales is pressing the Welsh Government to adopt Scotland’s approach by directly managing social care visa schemes for overseas staff, which would create a reliable and ethical route for international workers.

The Scottish Government is committing £500,000 to help international social care workers already in the UK who have been affected by visa changes, covering costs associated with moving to and working in Scotland’s social care sector for those who find themselves without sponsored employment elsewhere in the UK.