Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to keep fighting for a National Care Service, recounting the story of his Scouse nan Kitty, whose savings were used to pay for her care and whose engagement ring was stolen while she was in a care home.
Mr Burnham, who was born in Old Roan, Aintree, shared the story of his nan in a social media post on Tuesday, describing how the experience inspired his campaign for change.
Story of nan Kitty
He said: "My gran Kitty had an engagement ring she'd worn her whole life. After the war, she walked three miles out of bombed out Liverpool to put a deposit down on a house. Years later when she needed care, that ring was ripped from her finger and stolen in a care home. And the modest savings she'd built up over a lifetime? All taken to pay for it."
Mr Burnham added: "I won't let that carry on. So we're going to build a National Care Service. Care that starts in the home, that is free at the point of use. Care that's about people, not profit."
Plans for a National Care Service
The proposed service would protect people's homes and savings, and ensure no one pays care charges out of their basic state pension.
A commission led by Baroness Louise Casey is advising on the plans, which Mr Burnham said would be introduced in the next Parliament, fully funded and not through borrowing.
