Burnham wins praise from disabled people’s organisations after pledge to fix ‘broken’ social care

Disabled people’s organisations have welcomed the new prime minister’s pledge that he will face the challenge of fixing the “broken” social care system “head on”, ending decades of “political drift”.

Although Andy Burnham has previously described social care charges as an “abomination”, he did not promise to abolish them yesterday.

But he said he was making social care reform “a test of myself whether I can bring forward a solution, or I would never forgive myself, ever” and he promised to “stick this out”.

In a speech at a care home in north London yesterday (Wednesday), Burnham (pictured) said it was a “major dereliction of public duty” by “point-scoring” MPs that social care reform had not yet been achieved, despite 22 reviews over three decades.

He said there were about two million adults with unmet care needs in England, while disabled adults say they face “very unfair care charges just to live their life”.

His pledge to reform the system came as new research concluded that the social care charging system is “highly complex, inconsistent, burdensome and punitive”, and contributes to “increased hardship” for disabled people (see separate story).

Burnham made it clear that he wanted to develop a national care service, which would be “person-centred” but still “highly integrated with the NHS”.

He said there should be a “principle of home care wherever possible so that we have an approach that supports people where they should be and often where they want to be rather than ending up in a hospital bed”.

Burnham also said that care workers should be significantly better paid, trained and supported than they are currently, and announced that ministers would examine how to lift the workforce “closer to NHS standards” and “integrate it more with the NHS workforce”.

In another key move, Burnham announced that he had brought forward the final report of Baroness Casey’s Independent Commission on Adult Social Care from 2028 to next summer.

He said he would wait for the review’s conclusions before deciding whether there should be a “fully-fledged” national care service, and how it should be paid for.

Much of the content of his speech was similar to comments he made at a fringe meeting at the Labour party conference in 2021 when he called for a national care service that offered “very personal, individual support in the home” and which would “massively enhance the lives of disabled people in this country, as long as it was personalised and it was individual and there was control there”.

Greater Manchester Disabled People’s Panel, which worked closely with Burnham during his time as Greater Manchester mayor, welcomed yesterday’s announcements.

It said it was “very pleased” that he was “beginning to make the changes necessary for a national care service free at the point of need, that supports independent living and the best lives for everybody in the community”.

It said social care was “fundamental to enabling disabled people to access employment, education, family life and fully realised independent living consistent with our human rights”.

Last year, Burnham commissioned a Greater Manchester Social Care Commission, which reported last month and called for an end to social care charging, and for accessible information and processes, and advocacy for those receiving social care.

The panel said it was “essential” that the Casey commission “engages directly with disabled people’s organisations” because the “expertise, evidence and practical solutions already exist within the disabled people’s movement and should be at the heart of shaping future policy”.

Sara Crookdake, from Disability Stockport, a former co-chair of the panel, added: “The Greater Manchester Social Care Commission has shown that the best way to improve adult social care is to design it with people, not for people.

“By bringing lived experience and system leaders together as equal partners, we’ve moved beyond identifying problems to creating practical solutions that can improve lives across Greater Manchester.

“This is what meaningful co-production looks like, and this is how lasting change happens.”

Inclusion London, another DPO which has campaigned on independent living and for an end to care charges, also welcomed Burnham’s speech.

A spokesperson for Inclusion London said: “We welcome the prime minister’s determination to solve the social care crisis.

“Across the country, people are being pushed into poverty to pay for their care, often having to sell their homes or give up the little they receive in benefits. This must change.

“The government must now work closely with disabled people and our organisations to build a social care system that’s free at the point of use, so that everyone, young and old, can receive the support they need to live a fulfilling life.”

Burnham also announced this week that he was beginning cross-party talks – alongside those already taking place through the Casey commission – with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Those talks began yesterday, with Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey attending virtually due to his caring responsibilities, and the Conservatives sending shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew, as party leader Kemi Badenoch was undergoing minor surgery.

Burnham said all the parties would “have to give and take” and “find common ground” if they were to find consensus on a solution to social care reform.

Davey said later: “We had a constructive call, and I come out of it feeling hopeful.

“Clearly this is just the beginning and we will need many more cross-party meetings to find consensus.

“Everyone will have to accept things we might not like in order to work together – but I think that’s what the public want and expect us to do.”

The Conservative party is not currently sharing its press releases with Disability News Service or responding to requests to comment (see separate story).

Baroness Casey, who attended yesterday’s speech by the prime minister, also launched The Big Conversation on Care, as part of her commission’s work.

The consultation will last until April 2027 and will allow people across England to say what they want and expect from a future national care service, including who it should support and how it should be paid for.

The first phase of the conversation, from now until November, will ask about “the values and principles we should all expect from a care system and who should be eligible for support”, while the second will focus on “how care should be funded and how reform should be delivered”.

Picture by Lauren Hurley/No 10 Downing Street