Andy Burnham has signalled he would overhaul England’s social care system this year if he became prime minister, the biggest indication yet of what his main priorities would be. The prospective MP and potential Labour leader said tackling the issue is a priority.
Work is already under way on updating the social care system under Keir Starmer, but Burnham has suggested he would seek more radical and urgent change. He is not the first to have made such a claim, with several former Labour and Conservative prime ministers attempting to tackle the complex issue of the social care crisis in England.
The social care system in England faces a crisis due to factors such as an ageing population, funding shortages, and workforce pressures. The key issues include the high cost of care, a lack of integration with the NHS, and inconsistent quality of services. Fixing the system would require significant investment, with estimates ranging from billions to tens of billions of pounds annually.
