Andy Burnham is set out plans for social care in what is being described as the most significant policy announcement of his leadership so far. In his first Labour Party conference speech as Prime Minister, Burnham will unveil an NHS-style National Care Service for England—free at the point of use and funded through taxation. The move represents a bold attempt to fix a system he describes as “broken” and as unfair as American healthcare, where the most vulnerable can be “wiped out” financially.
A Personal Mission Rooted in Loss
Burnham’s determination to reform social care is deeply personal. His father, Roy, died earlier this month after living with Alzheimer’s. In an emotional address, the Prime Minister will speak directly to care workers who looked after his father—people he says work “on poverty pay” yet do it with “huge skill, humour and humanity,” holding together a “threadbare system” while remaining “invisible to the political class.”
“I want to speak directly today to our care workers – you are not invisible to me,” Burnham is expected to say. “I see you, I thank you, and I am sorry that my profession has let down yours for so long.”
What the National Care Service Would Look Like
The proposed system would mirror the founding principles of the NHS: universal, taxpayer-funded, and free at the point of use. Burnham confirmed the plan would follow the Scottish model of covering personal care costs, though not accommodation, food, and everyday living expenses.
Under the plan, no one would have to sell their home or deplete their savings to pay for care. The Prime Minister has described the current system as one where “dementia taxes” force families to lose everything they have worked for.
“This is the national care service we will build,” Burnham said, describing it as “a landmark policy as significant as the creation of the NHS itself and utterly essential to securing its future.”
The plan would be put to voters in Labour’s next general election manifesto, with Burnham ruling out implementation before the scheduled 2029 election. He wants a “national consensus” built around the reforms, with Baroness Louise Casey’s ongoing review informing the final proposals.
Funding the Plan: The Triple Lock Trade-Off
To help pay for the ambitious care reforms, Burnham confirmed he will end the pensions triple lock from April 2030, replacing it with a “double lock” where pensions rise by the highest of inflation or 2.5%—removing the link to average wage growth.
The government estimates this change will save £15 billion a year by 2040, though the Institute for Fiscal Studies cautioned that savings would be “relatively small in the first few years” and warned it would not be enough to fund universal social care on its own.
Burnham acknowledged the political risk. “I accept I may pay a political price,” he said. “But someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off.”
Where to add an image: A financial graphic showing the projected savings from the triple lock change versus the estimated cost of the National Care Service would work well here.
Why Social Care Reform Matters for the NHS
The Prime Minister has framed social care reform as essential to the NHS’s survival. On an average day last year, around 13,000 patients in England were medically fit to leave hospital but couldn’t be discharged because social care wasn’t available. The King’s Fund estimates these delays cost the NHS £2.7 billion annually.
“If we carry on like this, the broken social care system will break the NHS too,” Burnham warned. “We must never let that happen.”
A&E attendances by people over 65 have risen from 3.3 million in 2011/12 to 5.8 million in 2024/25, with research suggesting cuts to social care funding led to an additional half a million A&E visits each year.
Political Reaction and Challenges Ahead
The announcement has drawn immediate reactions from across the political spectrum:
- Unite general secretary Sharon Graham called the triple lock change “morally wrong”, arguing the government should look at “the super rich” instead
- Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said fixing social care is “too urgent to leave” until after the next election
- Reform UK’s Nigel Farage claimed Burnham “will cut your pension”
- Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the plan “won’t generate enough savings to fund a nationalised care system for another two decades.”
Beyond social care, Burnham will also signal support for proportional representation and announce plans to end the ban on public ownership of water companies. He will tell delegates, “Hope comes from honesty and from saying the things politicians usually avoid
In his address, he will state, “We can’t carry on as we are. Politics-as-usual has taken Britain backwards. More of the same isn’t good enough and isn’t going to get us where we need to be.”
What Happens Next
Baroness Casey’s review was originally scheduled to report in 2028 but has been accelerated to next summer. Her findings will set out a plan for implementing the National Care Service with cross-party backing and public support.
For now, Andy Burnham’s plan to set out social care represents a defining moment in his leadership—a gamble that voters will reward honesty about difficult trade-offs over the political safety of avoiding tough choices. Whether the public backs his vision will ultimately be decided at the ballot box…”
