Care Cannot Wait — Why Better Pay is the Only Way Forward for Social Care in Huddersfield

The UK Government has now officially closed the visa route for recruiting overseas care workers, a move framed as part of a plan to reduce exploitation and grow the domestic workforce. But at ground level, in communities like Huddersfield and Kirklees, this policy doesn't reflect reality.

The truth is simple. We’re not short of compassion, we’re short of funding.

Homecare Needs Fixing — And Money Is the Solution

At Bespoke Care and Support Services (BCSS), we’ve provided award-winning homecare in Huddersfield for over 12 years. We know what good care looks like. And we know what keeps care workers in the job:

✅ Fair pay

✅ Decent conditions

✅ Respect for the emotional and physical demands of the work

We’re currently paid £25.62/hour by Kirklees Council to deliver care. But the Homecare Association says it costs at least £32.14/hour to run a safe, ethical, sustainable service.

That means we’re working £6.50 or more per hour below cost every hour, every day. That’s not a funding gap. That’s a crisis.

Why Can’t We Retain Local Staff?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Local people don’t stay in care roles because they can earn the same, or more in retail, hospitality, or other sectors. And those jobs don’t carry the same emotional weight or responsibility.

We want to pay more. But with current funding levels, we simply can’t.

We can’t afford to pay block hours. We can only pay for direct contact time. And even then, we’re already stretching every penny to cover mileage, training, supervision, and legal pay obligations.

Why International Staff Matter

Before the door slammed shut on overseas recruitment, some of our most reliable and dedicated staff were workers we ethically sponsored, but here’s the key point:

We didn’t bring them into the UK. They were already here, often working for providers who underpaid or exploited them. We simply gave them a fair opportunity, good conditions, and the stability they deserved.

We’ve now spent over £30,000 on visa sponsorship just to hold onto good staff. That’s £30,000 we could have used to raise wages, offer bonuses, or provide mental health support for our team.

What Needs to Change?

This isn’t about reforming care. It’s about funding it properly.

If homecare providers like BCSS were funded at the recognised national minimum of £32.14/hour:

• We could raise wages overnight

• We could pay care workers travel time between calls

• We could attract local workers and keep them

• We could end our reliance on overseas sponsorship altogether

We’re not asking for excess—we’re asking for what it costs to do the job properly.

Let’s Be Clear: This Is Fixable

The care sector is often talked about as if it’s broken beyond repair. It’s not. It just needs investment. Better pay leads to better retention. Better retention leads to better care.

This is not a mystery. This is maths.

At BCSS, we’re doing everything we can to maintain high standards. But without a serious shift in funding, ethical providers like us are being pushed to the edge, while those who cut corners are left to fill the gaps.

A Thank You That Should Have Come Sooner

Before the doors closed on overseas recruitment, thousands of care workers left their home countries, families, and futures behind to support health and social care in the UK. They didn’t just fill gaps they held the system together.

At BCSS, we want to say this loud and clear:

Thank you.

Thank you to the care workers from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan, and so many other places who joined us, not for an easy life, but to do essential, often thankless work in a system already stretched to its limits.

You:

• Worked unsocial hours and picked up the shifts no one else would

• Brought skill, reliability, and compassion into people’s homes

• Supported not just our clients—but the very fabric of social care in Huddersfield and beyond

  
  

We know some of you arrived here with hopes of fairness and stability, only to face mistreatment or exploitation. We’re sorry that happened, and we’re proud to have offered many of you a fresh start under ethical sponsorship.

You helped us through the toughest years.

You helped families stay together.

You kept the promises that the system sometimes couldn't.