Is Burnham Planning NHS for Social Care?

[00:00:00]Andy Burnham has spent much [music] of his political career arguing Britain needs an NHS-style national care service.

[00:00:07]>> Older people failed, struggling at home, falling between the gaps, families never getting the peace of mind that they are looking for, being passed from pillar to post, facing an ever-increasing number of providers. Too many older people suffering in hospital, disorientated and dehydrated.

[00:00:24]>> Now, as Prime Minister, he finally has the chance to build one. There's just one problem. Nobody has ever worked out how to pay for it. Unlike the NHS, [music] social care in England isn't free at the point of use. If you need residential care and your assets exceed the means-tested [music] threshold, which is very low at just £23,000, you can be expected [music] to contribute heavily towards the cost.

[00:00:50]That means many people end up using their savings or the value of their home to fund care. It's long been one of the biggest political headaches in Westminster. [music] People often assume the NHS will look after them in old age. In reality, social care operates [music] under very different rules.

[00:01:09]Burnham has been talking about social care reform for years. [music] As Health Secretary under Gordon Brown, he argued that health and social care should work much more closely together.

[00:01:20]>> The N in NHS under sustained attack, a postcode lottery running riot, older people denied cataract and hip operations.

[00:01:29]>> Later, [music] as Mayor of Greater Manchester, he championed greater integration between the NHS and care services [music] through the region's devolved health system.

[00:01:39]A national care service has been a consistent theme of his politics. And now, finally, he has the authority to try and make it happen. But the money is where things [music] get difficult.

[00:01:50]Creating something closer to an NHS for social care would require billions of pounds. So, where does the money come from?

[00:01:58]Governments over the years have floated all kinds of ideas.

[00:02:03]Higher national insurance, general taxation, wealth taxes, [music] reforms to inheritance rules, and changes to how people contribute to care costs.

[00:02:13]One particularly controversial idea, often labeled a death tax by opponents, has been asking people to contribute more from their [music] estate or housing wealth after death or by changing how assets are assessed.

[00:02:27]Burnham has not announced such policy unless he [music] finds a significant new funding source or reprioritizes spending, the numbers will be the biggest obstacle to delivering his long-held ambition.

[00:02:41]Politically, fixing social care could seem an easy promise, but actually paying for it has defeated prime ministers from both parties. Burnham has spent years saying Britain needs a national care service. Now, [music] it remains to be seen whether he can succeed where everyone else has fallen short.