England’s social care system could be transformed into an NHS-style service offering free care at the point of use under plans being proposed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Burnham said he wants everyone in England to have access to free social care and plans to present the proposal to voters at the next general election.
Speaking to the BBC, the prime minister said the proposed system would operate on the principle that “everyone contributes, everyone is covered”, while refusing to rule out tax increases to fund the reforms.
He said the government would outline its “vision” for the proposed changes on Tuesday, with Whitehall troubleshooter Baroness Casey expected to advise on how the system could be implemented.
Burnham said the reform was necessary because of the pressure facing both social care and the National Health Service, arguing that many patients remain in hospital because appropriate care is unavailable when they are ready to leave.
“I am talking about a system that works on NHS principles because that is the only way you can make it work,” Burnham told the BBC.
“There is free personal care elsewhere in the UK. I don’t think it’s right that people in England don’t get the same and it’s not something we’re going to rush.”
Under the current system, adult social care helps people live independently by providing support such as assistance at home.
However, unlike NHS healthcare, it is not generally free at the point of use.
In England and Northern Ireland, people with savings above £23,250 are not normally entitled to council assistance towards their care costs, while different arrangements apply in Scotland and Wales.
Burnham said the proposed changes would have to be introduced carefully and without placing additional pressure on public finances.
“nothing is off the table at this moment in time,” he said when asked about possible funding options.
The prime minister also disputed an estimate that providing free social care to everyone in England could cost taxpayers £18bn annually.
“It’s not that high,” Burnham said, adding that people already face a “huge cost” under the existing system.
He described social care in England as “as unfair as American healthcare, where the most vulnerable in society can lose everything, they can be wiped out”.
Burnham said the lack of adequate social care was also placing pressure on the NHS because of the “huge number” of patients who cannot be discharged from hospitals due to insufficient care arrangements.
Asked whether everyone would have to contribute to the proposed system, he said, “It will be a system of that kind – so everyone contributes, everyone is covered but not precisely necessarily in the same way that we currently pay for the NHS.”
The prime minister said the details being developed by Baroness Casey would be discussed with other political parties in an attempt to reach a broad agreement.
He also said he would stick to Labour’s 2024 manifesto commitments on taxation during the current Parliament before putting a detailed social care plan before voters at a future general election.
“I don’t think you can reform this system without consensus. I will develop a very clear plan and I will put that plan to the public at a general election and that will be where the plan gets tested and people will then be able to decide,” Burnham said.
However, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said any tax increase would be unacceptable to the Conservatives.
“red line” and they would “not under any circumstances” support more of them.
Labour MP Darren Jones said Burnham was being “very bold and brave” with the proposal but acknowledged that the reforms would require substantial funding.
“Politics is about prioritisation and these things do cost money and so we’ll need to see the detail of that policy,” Jones said.
He also said scrapping the pensions triple lock could be considered as one possible way of funding social care reforms.
The triple lock guarantees that the state pension rises annually by whichever is highest among average wage growth, inflation or 2.5 per cent.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Burnham to continue cross-party discussions on social care, saying, “This can’t just be a series of No 10 headlines with no real action.”
Reform UK’s economic spokesman Robert Jenrick criticised the proposal, saying, “Andy Burnham refuses to rule out his universal death tax.
“He’s too weak to cut the benefits bill so he’s coming for your home instead.”
Burnham has previously advocated major changes to social care.
As health secretary under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, he proposed a national care service that was expected to be funded partly through compulsory contributions, including payments from people’s estates after death.
Opponents described the proposal as a “death tax”, but it did not progress after Labour lost the 2010 general election.
Social care reform has also proved politically sensitive in the past.
In 2017, then-Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May faced criticism over proposals that people receiving care at home could be required to pay their full costs if they had assets worth at least £100,000.
The controversy contributed to the Conservatives losing their parliamentary majority in that election.
