Technology and Science27 September, 20263 min read
Andy Burnham Proposes Free NHS-Style Social Care For Everyone In England
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Universal free social care for England based on NHS principles, funded by taxpayers. Plan to present the proposal to voters at the next general election.
7 outlets told this the same way.
NHS-style care proposal
UK prime minister Andy Burnham said he wants to introduce free social care for everyone in England, putting the proposal before voters at the next general election as part of a major reform of the country’s care system. Burnham told the BBC that he envisaged a system based on the principles of the National Health Service (NHS), saying, “everyone contributes, everyone is covered.” Burnham said he did not rule out tax rises to fund the reforms and acknowledged such measures could be “difficult or unpopular” with some voters.
Burnham linked social care reform to pressure on the NHS, arguing that a lack of available care contributes to delays in discharging patients from hospitals, and he said there was a “huge number” of people in hospitals across England who could not return home because the necessary social care was unavailable. Burnham said he wants to set out his “vision” on Tuesday and that Whitehall troubleshooter Baroness Casey, who is conducting a review, will advise on the “best way of doing it.”
Funding, eligibility, and debate
Burnham said the current system placed a “huge cost” on individuals and families, and he argued that social care in England is “as unfair as American healthcare, where the most vulnerable in society can lose everything.” The BBC said Burnham told Laura Kuenssberg that adult social care in England is not free at the point of use and that people with savings worth more than £23,250 are not entitled to help with care costs from their council. Burnham told the BBC that he had yet to explain how any changes would be funded, and he said “nothing is off the table at this moment in time” in terms of how the proposed system would be financed.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the prime minister was suggesting Labour wanted “more tax rises” to pay for the reforms, and Philp said the Conservatives would not support this. Labour MP Darren Jones said Burnham was being “very bold and brave” on social care, and he told Laura Kuenssberg that scrapping the pensions triple lock was an “option that the government should consider alongside”
Timeline, manifesto, and stakes
Burnham said Labour would put the proposals into its next general election manifesto so that voters could give their endorsement, and he ruled out implementing reforms before the next general election, currently due in 2029. Burnham told the BBC that he would “stick to the manifesto because I have to keep people’s trust,” and he said the commitments in the manifesto would make it hard to do in this Parliament. Burnham said the annual cost of delivering an NHS-style social care service was “not as high” as the £18bn that had been suggested, and he said “The challenge in the public finances is real” and that it “has to be done carefully, without putting extra strain on the public purse.”
Burnham warned that broken social care would, in the end, “break the National Health Service,” and he said he was going to “rip the plaster off” because “someone has to do it.” The Independent said Burnham insisted that Keir Starmer’s red lines on tax, including no increases in national insurance, income tax or VAT, constrained him from fixing the “broken” social care system before another election, while Burnham said he would “grasp the nettle” and put the plan to the public at a general election.