Scotland’s care sector faces well-known recruitment and retention challenges that puts our most vulnerable people are at risk. Scottish Care reports that over 25% of our care workers are from abroad, with many employed on Health and Social Care visas. Several care providers report an even greater reliance on these workers. Losing one quarter of our care workforce would cause damage on an alarming scale and is already pushing Scotland’s care sector into a deeper crisis.

Rather than valuing this crucial workforce, the Home Office has made social care a hostile environment. The closure of the Health and Social Care visa route, combined with the threat of deportation facing tens of thousands of workers, risks further deepening the recruitment crisis across Scotland’s care sector.

I will continue to stand up for care services, the workers who provide them, and the vulnerable people, especially those in my constituency, who rely on their support.