Andy Burnham said it was a “major dereliction of public duty” that politicians had failed for decades to resolve the crisis in social care.
The Prime Minister said the blame lies with “my generation of politicians” who had not got to grips with the problems posed by an ageing society and unfairness in the system.
Personal experience and call for higher pay
Mr Burnham, who spoke about the care received by his father, who has Alzheimer’s, said care workers should be “the best-paid people in society, not the worst”.
—
Meeting at care home
Before his speech, Mr Burnham, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper and Baroness Louise Casey met residents at the care home in London where he delivered his speech. When Mr Burnham told one he was the Prime Minister, the resident replied: “A new one? They keep changing.”
