Anna’s Blog – New Politics; What could a new Prime Minister mean for social care?
On Monday 22nd June, Prime Minister Kier Starmer announced his resignation and it’s clear the frontrunner is Andy Burnham, former Greater Manchester Mayor, following his Makerfield by-election win. Burnham has previously signalled his plan to overhaul social care before his campaign to be PM began. Back in 2009, when Burnham was Labour’s Health Secretary under PM Gordon Brown, he proposed social care reform and the creation of a unified National Care Service, akin to the NHS. In his Green Paper, ‘Shaping the Future of Care Together’, he stated:
“The care and support system therefore needs radical reform. As the number of people who need care and support increase, and expectations rise, the costs of providing care and support will increase dramatically. This means that the way in which the state system is currently funded will no longer be adequate. An absence of reform will mean restricting support further and growing numbers of people going without the care and support they need, with greater uncertainty and unfairness for families.”
When Andy Burnham laid out his initial policy commitments at the People’s History Museum in Manchester on 29th June, social care was a notable omission, although other pledges outlined would be relevant for the sector. This includes plans to build up the dwindling stock of council houses across the country, devolving powers to local authorities (including health and social care spending), and providing mental health support to younger people through their workplace or placement. Burnham did make a small reference to his plans to reduce the welfare bill, but gave no tangible clue as to how he would go about this.
Andy Burnham has long positioned himself as a Northern, working-class politician, whose focus is on de-centralising power and increasing collaboration. “We cannot go through another decade like the one we just had,” said Burnham. “We need a new determination to raise living standards, to fix the economy, and fix the country. We need to fix politics and we need to do it now.”
As part of his widespread devolution plans, Burnham’s announcement of a ‘Number 10 in the North’ would shift power from central Government to the regions instead to help their growth. “We will bring about the biggest power rebalancing this country has seen. It is time for Whitehall to accept that growth cannot be ordered from top down, but only nurtured from bottom up. Power from ground level to make a real difference, with a real vision people can get behind.”
What we do know in terms of his priority for social care is that he wishes to pull forward Baroness Casey’s independent commission on social care to enable earlier implementation of much needed reforms. The full review was not expected to be published until 2028, which would delay full implementation of any recommendations. This will be very much welcomed by the care sector and will build trust in the Government’s commitment to improve the lives of people who rely on social care.
In his mayoral role, one of Andy Burnham’s aims was to help prevent homelessness and support people into safe accommodation. He introduced ‘A Bed Every Night Scheme’, an initiative which aims to provide ‘a bed and personal support for anyone who is sleeping rough or at imminent risk of sleeping rough in Greater Manchester’. This scheme has helped over 3,000 people, funded 40,000 nights in accommodation, and has seen a reduction in rough sleeping by 57% over four years as published in 2022. His popularity as Greater Manchester Mayor has positioned Burnham as a ‘different kind of politician’ but stepping up to PM would be a test of his stated policies and commitments.
Social care is set to be a key challenge for the new Prime Minister. Care providers and people who use social care services have long been calling for more funding, a focus on prevention, better oversight and opportunities for social care to grow and flourish. In recent years the sector has suffered significant challenges, from the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, recruitment pressures and year on year under-funding of local authorities.
Clearly, something has to change. While previous plans to reform social care may have been put on the back burner, Burnham’s apparent promise to get the slow gears of Government turning faster will not be forgotten.
Additional Reading:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7cb16ae5274a38e57562d2/7673.pdf
https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/baroness-casey-adult-social-care-lga-responds