Mr Burnham laid out his bold vision for social care reforms on Wednesday.
Andy Burnham plans A&E change for NHS patients in England over age 65
Andy Burnham has a plan to tackle the rising number of A&E visits made by over-65s in England. Mr Burnham, the new Labour Party government Prime Minister, laid out his bold vision for social care reforms on Wednesday.
Mr Burnham made the speech on Wednesday, July 29, amid warnings A&E attendances by over 65s have increased from 3.3million in 2011/12 to 5.8 million in 2024/25.
It is estimated that cuts to social care funding between 2010 and 2018 led to an additional half a million A&E attendances a year for people aged 65 and over. In response, Mr Burnham plans to address “deep-rooted problems in the system, reforming the social care workforce and working across party lines.”
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The root-and-branch change to social care will, he hopes, reduce the number of A&E visits. The Prime Minister set out he wants to immediately focus on lifting up the social care workforce, integrating it with the NHS workforce, creating routes for progression, better pay, training and job security.
He wants to build a system which “allows people to move seamlessly between hospitals, home care and community services”, is “fully and sustainably funded”, starts with “prevention” and addresses citizens’ needs.
In response, Ellie Chowns, the Green party MP, has said that it is “deeply disappointing” that her party was not invited to the cross-party talks on social care reform.
In a statement, she said: “I have repeatedly called for greater action to fix adult social care, and for increased work across party lines to achieve this aim, because I know that the scale of the challenge before us demands commitment from MPs across the political spectrum if we are to make real progress.
“It is therefore deeply disappointing that the Green party was not invited to take part in the cross-party talks on adult social care today, despite Burnham’s stated commitment to working cooperatively on this issue.”
Mr Burnham said: “I think social care in England is as unfair as American healthcare. The vulnerable pay with everything and it can completely leave them with nothing.
“And that floor has been in place for a long, long time.”