Social Care Rally: Labour Party Conference 2023
What Will Labour Do to Invest in Social Care and Tackle the Social Care Crisis?
In September 2023, leaders, campaigners, and policymakers gathered to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our generation: the crisis in social care.
Chaired by Kevin Maguire, Associate Editor at the Daily Mail, a panel of key voices, including Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Shadow Ministers, union leaders, and policy experts, laid out a clear vision for reform. Their shared message was simple yet transformative: we cannot fix Britain’s healthcare system without fundamentally rebuilding social care.
Beyond Emergency Fixes: A Vision for Preventive Care
Opening the discussion, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham delivered a blunt assessment of current policy, pointing out that short-term, politically driven decisions are failing both care recipients and the economy.
"The NHS simply cannot survive without a radical shift toward preventative care. Right now, the social care sector is under so much strain it can’t even support its own workforce." - Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
Burnham called for an end to care charges for individuals living with disabilities, arguing that social care should be provided on NHS-equivalent terms, free at the point of access, while raising social care to a respected, high-status profession.
A common misconception is that social care is exclusively about elder care. Andrew Gwynne, Shadow Minister for Social Care, pushed back against this, emphasizing that support spans every age group.
Gwynne argued that Britain should be a place where everyone looks forward to growing old with dignity. Achieving that vision requires building a unified National Care Service that elevates the societal value of care workers and professionalizes the sector from the ground up.
Learning the Lessons of Crisis
Reflecting on the stark lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, Christina McAnea, General Secretary of Unison, reminded the audience how close the system came to total collapse.
She argued that social care must mirror the National Health Service not just in its structural organization, but in the respect, dignity, and security it affords its workers and service users alike.
Local perspective was brought home by Cllr Tom Robinson, who commended the dedication of frontline care staff who keep the system moving despite years of policy neglect.
Andrew Harrop, Head of the Fabian Society, shared key findings from their research into how a Labour-led National Care Service could operate in practice. Under the proposed blueprint:
Government Accountability: Social care would become a direct statutory responsibility of government, on par with the NHS.
Worker Rights & Fair Pay: A binding fair pay agreement would guarantee clear rights, entitlements, and fair compensation for all care workers.
Ending Inequality: The service would tackle systemic regional and socio-economic disparities in care access.
The Challenge of Our Generation
Closing the panel, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall framed the social care crisis as both an economic priority and a moral imperative. With an aging population, the burden of informal care falls heavily and disproportionately on women, impacting their career prospects, financial stability, and quality of life.
"We must build a country where people do not dread the end of their lives, but feel supported, valued, and cared for." - Liz Kendall, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary
Dr. Anna Dixon echoed these calls, urging that social care reform must sit at the absolute heart of the national agenda, putting social care on a genuinely equal footing with the NHS once and for all.
The consensus from the panel was resounding: piecemeal reforms and temporary funding patches will no longer cut it. Establishing a National Care Service isn't just a policy ambition - it's the foundation for a healthier, fairer, and more compassionate society.
