Andy Burnham delivered an emotional address about Britain's care system, promising change for social care workers and telling them: “You are not invisible to me.”
The prime minister outlined plans for his NHS-style National Care System in his leadership speech on Tuesday and blamed previous governments for failing to fix the basics.
He apologised to the people “holding a threadbare system together”, including those who looked after his father Roy until he died just weeks ago.
Mr Burnham told the Labour conference in Liverpool: “Is it any wonder people are giving up on politics? I watched closely the people who looked after my dad, caring for other people’s parents on poverty pay but doing it with huge skill, humour and humanity, holding a threadbare system somehow together yet invisible to the political class of this country.
“I want to speak directly today to our care workers – you are not invisible to me.
“I see you, I thank you and I am sorry that my profession has let down yours for so long. I promise you, I won't leave this job without doing everything I can to change things for you.”
Mr Burnham promised to set up “a person-centred, high-quality” social care service, funded by the taxpayer and free at the point of use.
He also issued an apology to the “wonderful NHS staff”, saying: “We have let you down too, left you under intolerable pressure, at risk of burnout, dealing with 999 calls from a failing care system, corridor care, your daily reality.
“If we carry on like this, broken social care will break the NHS too, and we can't let that happen. We must never let that happen.
“This party founded the National Health Service. There is only one real answer: a person-centred, high-quality care service that starts in the home. A system in the best traditions of this party, where everyone contributes, and everyone is covered, free at the point of use, and no care charges paid out of your basic state pension, philosophy of social security.”
As he set out his radical plan to transform Britain, he announced he would scrap the state pension triple lock from 2030 to pay for the social care reform plans.
He said the government would create a double lock by removing the link to average earnings to fund the new National Care Service.
The prime minister told the conference he wanted to build a “national consensus” around plans being drawn up following a consultation by Baroness Louise Casey.
“I won’t pretend some of this won’t be difficult,” he said. “I accept I may pay a political price. But someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off.”
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