Kate Garraway has told Health Secretary Wes Streeting that the cost of caring for her late husband Derek Draper has left her with 'excessive, unpayable debt', warning that others will be in an even worse position. The Good Morning Britain presenter confronted Mr Streeting on Friday, the anniversary of Mr Draper's death, saying the funding of care had been one of the overriding challenges her family faced.
Mr Draper, a political lobbyist, died on 3 January 2023 aged 56 after a long battle with the long-term effects of Covid. Ms Garraway has previously revealed that the £16,000 monthly cost of his care exceeded her ITV salary and had resulted in huge debts. She told Mr Streeting that two appeals for funding were still outstanding at the time of his death, having been repeatedly delayed, forcing her to fund the situation herself.
'Now I've got excessive, unpayable debt because of it, and if I'm in that position, what are other people going to be? People can't afford four more years of this?' she asked. Mr Streeting replied that political consensus on social care funding is essential, acknowledging that the costs involved often make politicians 'run for the hills'. He said he wants a cross-party plan to ensure consistent direction on social care, similar to the NHS since 1948.
Mr Streeting was speaking as he announced the first steps towards creating a National Care Service, with an independent commission expected to begin in the spring. The timeline means proposals for long-term funding and major reform of social care in England may not be delivered until 2028. He said a national care service is about 'national standards - consistent access to higher quality care for older and disabled people everywhere in the country'.
Asked whether that would mean people no longer have to sell their homes to pay for care, Mr Streeting said he would 'certainly like to see people protected from the catastrophic costs of upfront care that sees people forced to sell their homes and move out'. The Government faced criticism last summer after Chancellor Rachel Reeves scrapped proposals from Sir Andrew Dilnot, which would have introduced an £86,000 cap on care costs. Mr Streeting said Labour had been prepared to go ahead with the Dilnot proposals but 'we found the money wasn't there'.
