MHA chief executive Sam Monaghan has warned a ban on overseas dependants will close another recruitment avenue for social care.

Monaghan, said the measure, which will come into force in the middle of next month, would place “significant and lasting pressure on social care”.

“There is wide consensus across the sector that more reassurance is needed from the government on its long-term strategy to tackle staffing issues,” Monaghan said. “With 150,000 vacancies to fill, we desperately need to see evidence of this before policy changes are introduced.”

MHA recruited 300 colleagues from overseas in 2023. The not-for-profit provider has 6,500 staff members.

Monaghan said it was likely many would make the choice not to come in the future without the option of bringing their children with them.

“If the sector loses even a handful of potential new recruits like this, we’ll see increased strain on the availability of care for older people,” he said.

The care leader called on the government to demonstrate it values care as a profession through the creation of a Social Care Council that would “act as an independent body examining issues such as pay scales, working hours and recruitment on an ongoing basis”.