Burnham promises manifesto plan for free social care in England

Andy Burnham has set out plans for an NHS-style social care service in England that would be free at the point of use, while saying the reform would not be introduced before the next general election. Speaking to the BBC as the Labour conference began in Liverpool, Burnham said the party would include the proposal in its next election manifesto, currently expected to be presented to voters before 2029. He said this would allow the public to endorse the plan.

The proposed system would be funded collectively, with everybody contributing and everybody covered, although Burnham said it would not necessarily use exactly the same funding model as the NHS. He did not provide details of how the service would be paid for. A review led by Baroness Casey is continuing, and Burnham said he would set out more information in his conference speech on Tuesday.

Burnham acknowledged that the reform would be costly and complicated and said the government would need to proceed carefully because of pressure on the public finances. He claimed the annual cost would be lower than the £18bn figure that had been suggested, without giving an alternative estimate. He described England’s current system as unfair and said vulnerable people could lose their assets.

He also praised care workers after the death of his father, Roy Burnham, who had Alzheimer’s, saying they provided skilled work while receiving low pay. Burnham said he was prepared to spend political capital on reform and urged parties to avoid scaremongering. He said no funding option was ruled out, but stressed that his proposal was not automatically a return to the plan he advanced in 2010, which opponents had branded a “death tax.”