Latest news with #KevinEdwards
North Wales Chronicle
3 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Care home director warns of impact of visa restrictions
Kevin Edwards, from Meddyg Care, which runs two dementia care homes in Gwynedd, has written to Wales's First Minister, Eluned Morgan. He warned of the 'potentially devastating impact' of the UK Government's decision to end the Health and Care Worker visa. Mr Edwards believes the move could lead to care homes and domiciliary care companies shutting down. The issue is particularly severe in rural areas, which are already struggling to recruit local workers. Mr Edwards highlighted official statistics showing that 15 per cent of registered care workers in Wales were born outside the UK. He said: "The social care sector in rural North Wales is already under significant strain, grappling with high vacancy rates, an ageing population, and limited local workforce availability. "The Health and Care Worker visa has been a critical lifeline, enabling care providers to recruit international workers to fill staffing gaps." He has called on the First Minister to pressure the Westminster Government into either reversing the policy or implementing a transitional scheme for critical workers in social care. Mr Edwards is also advocating for more investment in training and pay levels to attract local workers and stronger measures to stop exploitation of international workers. He said: "The withdrawal of this visa will exacerbate existing challenges in rural North Wales, where geographic isolation and a smaller pool of domestic workers make recruitment particularly difficult." The ban on care workers bringing dependants, introduced in March last year, has already caused an 83 per cent fall in visa applications, with monthly applications dropping from 129,000 to 26,000 in a year. Mr Edwards said: "This sharp reduction demonstrates the policy's immediate impact, and the complete termination of the visa route will likely deepen the crisis. "The loss of international workers, who bring diverse skills and dedication, threatens to destabilise care homes and domiciliary services, potentially leading to closures." He extended an invitation to the First Minister to visit the care homes to see firsthand the impact of the potential closure of the visa scheme. The issue has also been raised by Care Forum Wales (CFW), who have branded the policy 'half-baked.' READ MORE: Ysbyty Gwynedd: 'Systemic challenges' but 'positive improvements' in ED Historic church on Anglesey with a 'lost well' in bid to extend graveyard The organisation warned that the policy, which came into force on July 22, risks 'extreme workforce shortages'. CFW Chair Mario Kreft MBE said: "This ill-thought through policy has come as a double whammy because it coincides with the increase in the employers' National Insurance contributions which amounts to a 37 per cent rise. "I'd also like to quash the myth once and for all that international workers are cheap labour because the exact opposite is true."
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 21 - Kevin Edwards (1993-98)
The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the "New Jersey Americans". Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today. To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise's jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 22nd of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 21, which has has had a total of 26 players wear the number in the history of the team. The 13th of those players wearing No. 21 played in the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets era, guard alum Kevin Edwards. After ending his college career at DePaul, Edwards was picked up with the 20th overall selection of the 1988 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat. The Cleveland Heights, Ohio native would play the first five seasons of his pro career with the Heat before he'd sign with New Jersey in 1993. His stay with the team would span parts of five seasons before he was dealt to the Orlando Magic in 1998. During his time suiting up for the Nets, Edwards wore only jersey No. 21 and put up 10.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
North Wales Chronicle
28-06-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Elderly forced out of Gwynedd communities amid care stand-off
Kevin Edwards, managing director at the Meddyg Care Group, claimed a health board is refusing to cover the 'true cost' of services provided at his care homes in Porthmadog and Criccieth, meaning people are going to homes further afield. However, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) has insisted that it is 'committed' to providing care for people across North Wales 'as close to home as is clinically safe'. It also argued that it provides many care packages 'well beyond' its core funding rates based on clinical need. Mr Edwards claimed: 'Because we won't accept their base cost, they are not recommending our homes to Gwynedd families.' He claimed this meant some were ending up in homes far from their communities, and the support of their friends and relatives. The health board has responded by saying it is not legally allowed to recommend which homes people choose. He pointed to the difference between what care homes in rural Gwynedd needed, and the fee the health board was willing to pay, was between £40 and £80 per week per resident. 'NHS care should be free to people who need it in their local area, but people are being forced out of the area because homes in rural Gwynedd will not accept the basic fee BCUHB is prepared to pay,' he said. He added that his home provided care through the medium of Welsh but added if people go further afield that may not be the case. 'BCUHB do the costings on their fee, in my view, on the back of a fag packet,' he said and urged the board to adopt a toolkit used to set care funding fees, called CareCubed. 'How can our costs in a rural setting be the same as a home in an urban setting, somewhere in the middle of Rhyl, Llandudno, or Wrexham for instance?' He added. Mario Kreft MBE, chair of social care champions Care Forum Wales, said: 'One of the most important things for families is the location of the home where their loved ones will be living. 'The vast majority of people choose a care home in a community where they want to be in, it's so important. 'This issue highlights what we are facing in North Wales, and that's a health board which has been promising methodology for more than a decade. 'They should be meeting government guidance on this, it's outrageous that they are not.' He added it caused 'further anxiety' to future residents and families, delaying hospital discharges, and saw people taken to parts of the country they don't want to be in, and highlighted a north-south divide over fees. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board's Chief Operating Officer Tehmeena Ajmal said: 'We are committed to providing care for people across North Wales as close to home as is clinically safe. 'We understand that these are challenging times for everyone, and we must ensure that our resources are used fairly and appropriately for all. 'For people who are eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), each person receives an individual assessment. Many people are supported with care packages that go well beyond our published core funding rate, based on their clinical needs. 'It's important to note that we are not legally allowed to recommend which care home families should choose. We must remain fair and cannot show preference for one independent provider over another. 'We continue to admit patients into all nursing care homes in Gwynedd. Currently, there are only very small numbers of people in hospitals waiting for placements in EMI (Elderly Mentally Infirm) nursing care homes. 'We are fully committed to making sure people can receive care in the Welsh language, and—where possible—stay close to their communities, families, and friends. 'These are all important factors when we agree on care placements and funding. 'As a region, we have reviewed a number of fee-setting tools, including CareCubed, which several local authorities have started using. 'We are working closely with them to review and assess this approach.'
