Archive · 29 Jul 2026
Burnham pledges to reform England’s adult care system
Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants to fix England's adult care system because it's unfair and expensive.
He thinks it's as unfair as the U.S. healthcare system.
He wants to work with other political parties to make changes.
The system is run by different providers, and costs can be very high.
Burnham believes that integrating care into the health service could help.
He also thinks that private companies are making too much profit and cutting costs dangerously.
The government spends a lot of money on social care, and many older people have to pay a lot of money for care over their lifetime.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledges to reform England's adult social care system.
He invites opposition leaders to discuss funding and hopes for a national consensus.
Burnham compares the unfairness of the system to U.S. healthcare costs.
Reform carries political risks, including potential tax hikes or new levies.
Private equity firms own about one in eight for-profit care home beds.
- Who
- British Prime Minister Andy Burnham
- What
- Pledged to overhaul England's adult social care system
- When
- July 29
- Where
- England
- Why
- To address the unfairness and high costs of the current system
Reform Supporters
Opposition Parties
Funding Mechanism
Reform Supporters
Supports exploring new funding models like taxes or insurance to make the system fairer.
Opposition Parties
Opposed previous proposals, dubbing them 'dementia tax' or 'death tax'.
- Prime Minister
- Andy Burnham
- Current Weekly Cost
- £1,400 privately, £1,000 by local authorities
- Annual Social Care Spending
- £34.5 billion
- Private Equity Ownership
- 1 in 8 for-profit care home beds
- Lifetime Care Costs
- 1 in 7 older people incur over £100,000