Andy Burnham makes emotional pledge to repair social look after ‘my dad and thousands and thousands like him’

Andy Burnham said risks of failing to reform social care were too great, with around 2million people struggling to access care in England while others see their savings wiped out

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Andy Burnham made an emotional pledge to overhaul the crisis-hit social care system to help “my dad and the millions like him”.

The Prime Minister said the risks of failing to reform social care were too great, with around 2million people struggling to access much-needed care in England while others see their savings wiped out to fund help for their loved ones.

He said England’s system is “as unfair as American healthcare”, adding: “The vulnerable pay with everything, and it can completely leave them with nothing.”

In an emotional speech at a Jewish Care facility in north London, Mr Burnham described how carers looking after his dad Roy, who has Alzheimer’s, could draw out “a moment of his old character” through conversation. He has previously spoken of his heartbreak that his dad doesn’t know that he has become Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister hit out at politicians that kicked the issue into the long grass for decades – with 22 reviews in the past 30 years. “It’s a major dereliction of public duty that Parliament has not faced up to this of all challenges, something so fundamental to life as this,” he said.

He added: “I am making this a test of myself whether I can bring forward a solution, or I would never forgive myself, ever.”

Mr Burnham wants to create a new national care service, with better pay and training for care workers, and closer ties to the NHS, to ease pressure on hospitals.

He said an independent review by Baroness Casey would be brought forward to next summer, instead of 2028, alongside a national consultation with the public about the kind of system they want to see.

He also kicked off cross-party talks with the Tories and the Liberal Democrats to try to find consensus on an issue that has bedevilled politicians for decades.

Efforts to reform social care have repeatedly been torpedoed by rows over how to fund it. While Mr Burnham was Health Secretary in Gordon Brown’s government, plans to allow people to defer payment until after they died were floated – but sparked a backlash, with the Tories branding it a “death tax”.

Theresa May abandoned plans to get people to pay more of the costs of their care in 2017, which was dubbed a “dementia tax” by critics.

Mr Burnham said he wanted to stop people having to sell their homes to pay for care, but said there would need to be “difficult decisions” on funding.

He left the door open to tax hikes but said the Government owed it to the public to “do more with what you’ve got”. He signalled that tax rises to pay for social care could be in Labour’s next manifesto, saying: “We will put them before the country at the right time, and we will hopefully proceed with people’s consent.”

He also pointed to the eye-watering bill for social care failings, which cost the NHS around £2.5 billion a year to keep patients in hospital who are well enough to leave because there is no suitable care.

Carers should be the best paid people in society, not the worst, he said, promising reforms to the social care workforce to bring it in line with the NHS.

Mr Burnham said: “I watch sometimes how people communicate with my dad and they’re able to catch a kind of a moment of his old character. It comes out because of the way they draw in the conversation and that is an amazing talent to have.

“But also moving from a wheelchair to an armchair, or from there to a bed without distress or discomfort, it is incredibly demanding and skilful what they do and that needs to be recognised.”

Describing how many overseas care workers were caring for his father, he said: “I want those carers to know we appreciate you, we appreciate what you are doing to support people here.”

Mr Burnham, who spoke without notes, said he was prepared to stake his political reputation on the plans.

“This is huge for me,” he said. “I know this will require me to put what political capital I have on the table and it could wear down that political capital in some ways.

“But I’m prepared to do it. I’m prepared to do it because this has gone on too long. The risks of failing to act are too great.”

Appearing visibly emotional, he said: “I am going to do all of those things for my dad and the millions like him up and down the country.”

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who cares for his disabled son, said he felt hopeful after constructive talks. “Everyone will have to accept things we might not like in order to work together – but I think that’s what the public want and expect us to do,” he said.

Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew, who represented the Tories at the talks, said: “The Conservatives are ready to work with Labour on serious proposals to reform social care.

“But Burnham needs to produce the detail, and pledge not to raise taxes or increase borrowing to pay for change.”