UK PM Burnham vows social care overhaul to protect NHS

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has warned that the National Health Service could collapse without fundamental reform of England's adult social care system, pledging to spend his political capital on an overhaul he says has been neglected for decades. In his first major broadcast interview since taking office, which aired on Monday, July 27, Burnham stated he could not set a firm timeline for implementing a new system but vowed to achieve substantial change before leaving office.

The Prime Minister is expected to outline his approach in a speech on Wednesday, July 29. He is not expected to unveil a fully formed new system but will announce the acceleration of the independent Casey Commission, a review of long-term social care solutions originally due to deliver final recommendations in 2028. Burnham, who first proposed a universal social care system as health secretary in 2009, argued the NHS is burdened by caring for people who should be supported by social care services, costing billions of pounds and preventing a return to good waiting time standards. Last month, 14,000 people were stuck in hospital each day in England primarily because they could not access social care for a...