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Nhs style social care reform could take decades economist warns

8:05 PM ETConfirmed

Health Desk

In Short: Sir Andrew Dilnot, an economist and former commissioner of a social care reform proposal, warned that implementing an NHS-style social care system in England could take decades.

In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, Sir Andrew said that Prime Minister Andy Burnham's promise of a new national care service might be further away than initially implied.

Burnham first promised a new national care service shortly after becoming prime minister in July, aiming for a system where social care would be entirely free, including residential costs.

Sir Andrew, who led a commission proposing reform of the system 15 years ago, said change on social care 'is now further away' than had been implied when Burnham first promised a new national care service.

He pointed out that if proposals are included in Labour's 2029 election manifesto, that would be 30 years after Tony Blair launched a royal commission on social care and more than 15 years since his own commission reported back.

Sir Andrew said a Scottish-style system would still leave people in residential care facing 'very substantial bills', which Burnham has said he wants to avoid.

He noted that an NHS-style social care system could cost 'well in excess of £18bn', although a Scottish model could cost half this figure.

Sir Andrew said he would 'love to see such a scheme', where all social care is government-funded, but 'the cost would become very, very large.

Adult social care provides state support to help people live more independently, including assistance at home, but unlike the NHS, social care is not free at the point of use in England, leaving some people facing huge bills.

Economist Sir Andrew Dilnot has reiterated his warning that implementing an NHS-style social care system in England could take decades, according to the BBC.

The core index showed a 0.2% increase, below the 0.3% expected by economists, while US private employers added 90,000 jobs in September, marking a rebound after three months of slowing job creation and exceeding economists' expectations.

Health care employment continues to chug along, adding 17,000 in September, while manufacturing employment grew modestly in September, a gain of 9,000 jobs.

Background

What's confirmed

• A new NHS-style social care system for England could take decades to be implemented, economist Sir Andrew Dilnot has told the BBC.
• Labour MP and former minister Darren Jones told Laura Kuenssberg that scrapping the pensions triple lock was an "option that the government should consider alongside others" in order to fund social care reforms.
• He pointed out that if proposals are included in Labour's 2029 election manifesto, that would be 30 years after Sir Tony Blair launched a royal commission on social care and more than 15 years since his own commission reported back.
• Sir Andrew said a Scottish-style system would still leave people in residential care facing "very substantial bills", which Burnham has said he wants to avoid.
• Sir Andrew said he believed an NHS-style social care system could costs "well in excess of £18bn", although a Scottish model could cost half this figure.
• Sir Andrew said he would "love to see such a scheme", where all social care is government-funded, but "the cost would become very, very large".
• Adult social care provides state support to help people live more independently, including assistance at home.
• In an interview with the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Burnham suggested his proposals for social care would mean "everyone contributes, everyone is covered" and refused to rule out tax rises to fund such a system.
• Mr Healey said that he would ensure the UK emerges from his first Budget on October 28 with a solid “buffer against uncertainty.” Economists have predicted that the fiscal buffer Rachel Reeves built up in her last budget, through a combination of tax rises and departmental spending cuts, will be squeezed by the inflationary pressures of ongoing global turmoil.

What's still developing

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Sources

• Fox Newslink
• Ibtimeslink
• Los Angeles Timeslink
• Epilink
• Dailyhodllink
• Indiaweeklylink
• Thenhsalliancelink
• Startupfortunelink
• Independentlink
• BBClink
• Lbclink
• Nypostlink
• Fox Businesslink
• WarpBeat — background on NHS-style Social Care Reform Could Take Decades, Economist Warns link
• WarpBeat — background on Economist Warns NHS-Style Social Care Reform Could Take Decades link
• Gillian Keegan — video link