John Swinney, giving his keynote speech at the Scottish National Party (SNP) conference, said the government will “step in” to sponsor “hundreds of dedicated workers” so they can “work, pay tax and help keep Scotland’s care homes running”.
He said they will be able to “start work immediately”.
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In July, the government halted new overseas applications for the social care worker visa, an arm of the skilled worker visa.
Mr Swinney said this has meant “thousands of care workers here in the UK entirely legally have been left high and dry”.
“Scotland’s older people must not pay the price for Westminster’s prejudice,” he added.
Walk-in GPs
Mr Swinney also said the Scottish government will open a network of walk-in GP services across Scotland.
Initially, there will be 15 sites, staffed by GPs and nurses, open from 12pm to 8pm, seven days a week.
“This is just the start, we will expand this network,” he said.
The SNP leader said no appointments will be needed, and they expect to deliver more than one million additional GP appointments within the next year.
Independence
Staying true to the SNP’s roots, Mr Swinney presented Scottish independence as the solution to the challenges he says are posed by Westminster governance.
He argued that self-governance and SNP leadership are delivering tangible benefits for Scotland.
“Today, I believe it will be revulsion at Westminster’s race to the right that will change Scotland’s status again,” he said.
“From a so-called devolved nation, to what we can be: A modern, outward-looking, inclusive, compassionate country.
“Not a devolved nation, but the world’s newest independent nation.”
Mr Swinney added that only Scotland can care for Scotland and its people, which he said included everyone in the country.
“Yes, I am proud to say that refugees are welcome here,” he said to much applause.
