A care worker who exposed alleged elderly abuse by other staff is facing deportation after being fired for whistleblowing. The migrant, whose employer sponsored her British visa, said she was sacked after raising concerns about an elderly male resident being punched several times in the back by another carer. “Meera”, whose real name has been obscured because of an active criminal investigation into the alleged abuse, came to the UK from India last year but now faces being sent back unless she can find another sponsor.
“I was [a] whistleblower there,” she said. “Instead of addressing things, they fired me … I told them everything and they made me feel like I am a criminal. I am not a criminal, I am saving lives.” Meera said she was called to a meeting with the care home’s manager after flagging what she had seen and was told to “change your statement, otherwise we will dismiss you”. She reported the alleged abuse to police instead, and a number of people from the care home have since been arrested, according to Sky News.
She added that she believes the care home – which also cannot be named for legal reasons – had intentionally recruited migrant workers on the assumption that they would be less willing to speak up about abuse.
“You hire local staff, they know the legal rights,” the care worker said. “They can complain, they can work anywhere … They can raise their voice.”
“I am in trouble right now and no one is trying to help me,” Meera, whose employer maintained that she was fired for failing to meet required standards, said.
“I just want [families] to know people in care homes like these … your person, your father, your parents [are] not safe.”
The government’s immigration white paper, announced in April, will soon close the care visa route, preventing care homes from recruiting abroad.
But officials in the sector have warned that the change won’t protect the tens of thousands of care workers already in the UK.
“The whole system is based on power imbalance and the government announcement doesn’t change that,” Dora-Olivia Vicol, chief executive of the Work Rights Centre, said.
“I think the power that employers have over migrant workers’ visas really makes a terrible contribution to the quality of care.”
A Care Quality Commission (CQC) report carried out after the arrests did not find evidence to change its ‘good’ rating.
A spokesperson for the government said: “No one should go to work in fear of their employer, and all employees should have a right to speak up if they witness poor practice and care.”