Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to develop a new National Care Service for England based on NHS principles and free at the point of use, while saying that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to funding the system.
Burnham said the detailed proposal would be developed ahead of the next General Election and put to voters as part of Labour's offer for another term in government.
The commitment is therefore a plan for the next election rather than an announcement that universal free social care will be introduced immediately during the current Parliament.
‘Everyone contributes, everyone’s covered’
Burnham said his objective was to create a universal social-care system operating on the principle that everyone contributes and everyone is covered.
The model would seek to bring social care closer to the principles underpinning the NHS, with eligible care provided without charges at the point it is received.
Detailed eligibility rules, the precise services covered and the eventual cost of the system have not yet been determined.
Burnham says nothing is off the table on funding
Asked how the proposed system would be paid for, Burnham said “nothing is off the table”.
He acknowledged that funding a universal system would require difficult decisions and that some of the eventual choices could prove unpopular.
No specific tax increase has been announced to fund the proposal, and suggestions about particular taxes or changes to other spending commitments should not be treated as Government policy unless formally adopted.
Existing tax commitments constrain current Parliament
Burnham acknowledged that Labour's existing commitments on income tax, National Insurance and VAT limit the options available to fund such a major reform during the current Parliament.
That is one reason the Prime Minister is framing the National Care Service as a proposal to be developed and presented to voters at the next General Election rather than an immediate fully funded programme.
Casey review to inform detailed plan
The Government's work on social-care reform is expected to draw on the review led by Louise Casey.
Burnham has indicated that the findings of that work will help shape the detailed structure and funding arrangements for the proposed National Care Service.
Until that process is complete, significant questions remain over eligibility, workforce requirements, integration with the NHS and the amount of additional public funding that would be required.
Major commitment for next General Election
The Prime Minister's intervention goes further than a general commitment to reform England's social-care system by setting out an explicit objective of care being free at the point of use.
However, it remains a future policy commitment whose detailed design and financing have yet to be settled.
The confirmed position is that Burnham intends to develop an NHS-style universal social-care proposal and put it before voters at the next General Election, while refusing at this stage to rule out potential funding options.