PM sets out new path to fix social care together

The Prime Minister has set out his commitment to end decades of political drift on social care and fix the system so that it gives people dignity, security and support when they need it most.

Speaking at a care home today, the Prime Minister set out the urgency of the situation and his commitment to bring the political will needed to tackle the challenge at hand, taking on the tough issues that Westminster has ducked for too long.

He stressed the need to put differences aside and come together to find solutions, with an approach focused on problem solving rather than political point scoring.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:

I won't stand by and leave people paying the price for Westminster's refusal to deal with the real issues facing our country. 

That's what's happened with our broken social care system, which has been left to decline while politicians pass it back and forth.

I just don't accept that this problem is too big to solve. What we need is a new way of doing politics where we come together, face the challenge head on and build an integrated system that gives people security and dignity.

That's the commitment I am making to people across this country, and I will give it my all in trying.

Health & Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

Too many older and disabled people are being let down by a broken system, while millions of unpaid carers shoulder an enormous burden every day. When social care fails, it affects people's independence, families' lives and communities across the country.

More than 50 years ago, Barbara Castle recognised that health and social care must work hand in hand. Today, with demand for care rising and more people relying on support to live independently, that vision has never been more important.

For decades, governments have struggled to solve this challenge. This government is determined to change that, working across political divides to deliver the lasting reform social care needs and build a system that gives people the dignity, support and security they deserve.

The Prime Minister set out that social care reform was essential not only for those actively needing support, but also for the long-term future of the NHS.

A failure to tackle the broken social care system has piled pressure on NHS services with thousands of people stuck in hospital beds despite being medically fit to leave, some of which are due to a lack of capacity of adult social care services.

This in turn has led to heightened pressure on hospital capacity, leading to too many people experiencing corridor care because of discharge delays. A&E attendances by over 65s have increased from 3.3million in 2011/12 to 5.8 million in 2024/25, and it is estimated that cuts to social care funding between 2010 and 2018 led to an additional half a million A&E attendances a year for people aged 65 and over.

To face these challenges head on, today the PM outlined a new approach, bringing the necessary political will to tackle the deep-rooted problems in the system, reforming the social care workforce and working across party lines.

The Prime Minister set out he wants to immediately focus on lifting up the social care workforce, integrating it with the NHS workforce, creating routes for progression, better pay, training and job security. He was clear we will not get the care service we want until we think about it as one workforce, improving its strength and capability.

Fixing the big issues will only happen if government works with other parties and all parts of society. That includes listening to the public who this system is there to serve. To ensure their voices are heard, Baroness Casey has today launched the Big Conversation on Care to ensure people all over the country can feed in their views. Open to everyone through a new online platform, it will ask people to share their thoughts on the values and principles they expect from a care system, as well as some of the tough questions around fairness and funding. 

Alongside the Big Conversation, the Health and Social Care Secretary will chair a new ministerial group to accelerate the government's response on social care, including workforce, system reform and delivery of the Commission's first recommendations. This will include work towards appointing a Dementia Tsar later this summer to help drive forward much-needed improvements.

The Prime Minister also confirmed that he would bring forward the date for Baroness Casey's commission to report back with a plan on how to deliver the National Care Service, accelerating this from 2028 to next summer

Reporting into government, the Commission's findings will set out a plan to implement solutions with the public's backing and cross-party consensus, to ensure that proposals are deliverable, realistic and designed in the interests of those they are there to serve.

The Prime Minister also set out the core principles behind the National Care Service that government will build: 

-      The system must allow people to move seamlessly between hospitals, home care and community services.

-      This service must be fully and sustainably funded

-      The service must start with prevention, supporting people to live independently for longer

-      Citizens' needs must be at the heart of plans, removing budget battle lines between organisations and making sure local social, primary and community care works together effectively

To ensure momentum continues on this work, the Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary will meet regularly with Baroness Casey and her team, to track progress on these core questions as the national conversation and cross-party talks continue.

He has also invited the leaders of the two main opposition parties to meet with him in order to begin a new discussion on the issue and drive cooperation across party lines, marking the start of this new approach.