Prime Minister Andy Burnham has warned that the NHS could “collapse” unless social care is reformed, while saying he cannot yet give a timetable for major changes.
In his first major interview since entering Downing Street, Burnham told the BBC he did not want to leave office without delivering “substantial change” to the social care system. He said he would put his political capital into addressing what he described as broken social care, but did not commit to establishing a new system before the next election.
The BBC reported that Burnham is expected to speak about adult social care on Wednesday, but is not expected to set out a full replacement system. Instead, he is understood to be bringing forward the timetable of the Casey Commission, an independent review led by Baroness Louise Casey, whose final recommendations had not been expected until 2028.
Adult social care supports people to live more independently, including help at home. Unlike the NHS, it is not free at the point of use. In England and Northern Ireland, people with savings above £23,250 are not eligible for council-funded help with care costs, while Wales and Scotland have different eligibility rules.
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King’s Fund, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the current system meant many people did not receive the care they needed. She said possible reforms could include free care at the point of need or a cap on lifetime costs.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has written to Burnham calling on him to rule out tax rises or higher borrowing to pay for reform. She said any changes should be fair to people who had saved during their lives.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who chairs the Health and Social Care Committee, said politicians needed to discuss funding and commit political effort to the issue. Sir Ed Davey said family carers should be central to any new system, and that nobody should lose their home because of care costs.
Reform Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said social care needed repair, but warned against what he called a “universal death tax”.
In the same BBC interview, Burnham also suggested benefits rules could become tougher, saying the country needed to reduce the welfare bill. He said some support could be made conditional on people taking opportunities offered to them, while adding that he did not want to begin by blaming benefit claimants.
Burnham also referred to possible future decisions on council tax, but No 10 said suggestions that he was actively considering abolishing council tax or stamp duty were not true. Asked on Monday whether stamp duty would be changed or scrapped at the next Budget, he said that would not happen.
