Andy Burnham, in a Labour conference speech, outlined more details regarding his ambition to overhaul adult social care. He described the vision as creating a new national care service, which he stated would be as significant as the creation of the NHS itself.
The proposed service would operate on NHS principles, being free at the point of use and funded from within the public spending envelope. Burnham indicated that savings from scrapping the state pension triple lock in the next parliament would be directed towards the care service. However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggests this alone would not fully fund a universal NHS-style care service.
Burnham also stated that a future care system would aim to protect individuals' homes and savings if they require care in later life. He thanked care workers and apologised to them, recognising them as underpaid and undervalued.
A broad schedule for the service's introduction was provided. Louise Casey is expected to produce an independent report on social care in 2027, detailing what a national care service could entail and how it could be funded. The service would then be included in the next Labour manifesto and introduced in the next parliament if the party is elected.