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What do social care leaders make of Andy Burnham’s early plans to overhaul the system?

Leaders in social care have expressed cautious optimism for the future of the sector following the appointment of Andy Burnham as the UK’s new Prime Minister.

Major providers, charities and care associations have said they are encouraged by his decision to make social care one of the defining missions of this Parliament, and by his personal commitment to fix the system he describes as unfair.  

However, while this ambition is widely welcomed, leading voices agree that delivering reforms which have eluded governments for decades will require far more than political will.

We approached four sector leaders for their first impressions of Burnham’s early plans for social care, and their views on what’s needed to finally achieve lasting reform.

Nadra Ahmed CBE, Chair of the National Care Association

“The Prime Minister entered office with a long-standing vision for high-quality social care. He reinforced this commitment by making social care a priority within the first two weeks of his tenure, an unprecedented move for a new Prime Minister.

“Speaking without notes, he personally pledged to stake his reputation on delivering reform or accept failure. While similar promises have been made before elections and later broken, this early commitment raises hope for meaningful change under the new administration. Ultimately, the greatest test will be whether he can secure and sustain the cross-party consensus needed to achieve lasting social care reform.”

Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive, Homecare Association

“Andy Burnham is bringing welcome attention and determination back to social care reform. Labour’s Manifesto heralded a National Care Service, promising quality, choice, integration and equity of access. The Casey Commission will propose reforms to achieve these aims. Some suggest the solutions lie in free personal care, fair pay, NHS control, or banning profit. On their own, though, none will fix social care.

“In homecare, we need to move from wholesale commissioning of homecare by the minute below cost to a consumer-directed approach with choice of quality-assured providers employing a professionalised workforce, accountable for outcomes, and receiving a fair price.”

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive, Care England

“It is good to see a new Prime Minister prioritising social care, but the next challenge for him and the government is to take it from the rhetorical and make it real. It was Andy Burnham who first talked about the idea of a National Care Service, and this was floated just before the previous Labour government lost power.

“The idea of a National Care Service is at variance with the PM’s stated aim of devolving power and accountability to the regions, and I wonder how he is going to square that circle. I would like him to focus on the offer which the state gives to the individual, and a good starting point for this is the Care Act. This piece of legislation does clarify what citizens should expect. It may need some revisions and some focus on the funding formula, but more importantly, it needs to be implemented. The challenge for the PM is to make sure that when policy becomes law, local authorities deliver on it.

“I sincerely hope that Andy Burnham's premiership will be the start of a long-term vision for social care that understands the breadth of social care, including working-age adults as well as older people’s care, and is backed by appropriate funding. Some of this money must come from the NHS. If you look at the NHS 10-year plan, it could not possibly be delivered without the involvement of social care.”


Dan Archer, Founder and UK CEO, Visiting Angels

“My initial response is one of renewed optimism. It is early days and nothing has really been announced yet that we didn’t already know. However, bringing forward the Casey Commission Review and the prominence given to social care on the political agenda are steps forward.

“More urgency and more political will are definite improvements. We need to ensure that the words become action. I have met Mr Burnham in Westminster in the past and I do feel that a Prime Minister with more understanding of the sector has to be good news. I also feel that we may see an election earlier than you think to give a Burnham government the chance to implement lasting change.  

“This will be the test that defines whether Andy Burnham is interested in dogma, or outcomes. I hope that the PM is brave enough to shift the dial and to put people and outcomes before organisations and processes.”