By Louise Watson-Jones, Anna Hart and Anne-Marie Gregory
|Published 30 September 2026
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has used his Labour party conference speech to set out his proposals for the creation of a National Care Service, describing it as a landmark reform which he intends to introduce in the next parliament.
In this article we consider what this might mean for social care providers.
The Prime Minister described his ambition as a “person-centred, high-quality care service that starts in the home.”
Crucially, he said care would be free at the point of use, with no care charges paid from an individual’s basic state pension. He also said the new system would protect people’s homes and savings and give greater recognition to care workers.
He said the government would start laying the groundwork for the National Care Service now, with the intention of introducing it in the next parliament.
The Prime Minister set out the intended principles of the new service, but did not elaborate further on potential operating models. In particular, his speech did not explain how services would be commissioned, the respective roles of central government and local authorities, or how independent and voluntary-sector providers would operate within the new system.
Those questions will be particularly important for providers.
He confirmed that Baroness Casey’s review will advise the government on how the National Care Service should work, and said the government would seek to build the maximum national consensus around her recommendations.
The Prime Minister said the National Care Service would be fully funded and not funded through borrowing.
He also announced one specific contribution towards its funding - the government will honour its commitment to maintain the existing state pension triple lock throughout this parliament. However, from April 2030, if Labour wins the next general election, the mechanism would change.
Under this proposal, the state pension would continue to rise each year by at least inflation or 2.5% and would maintain its value relative to earnings over time. The Prime Minister said this change would generate “significant savings” which would be used to build up the National Care Service.
The speech did not set out the overall cost of the National Care Service or identify all funding streams (recognising that the changes to triple lock may not be enough to cover the full cost). However, the identification of a specific funding mechanism and proposed timescale for implementation, suggests the government is seeking to present the policy as a deliverable reform rather than a long-term aspiration.
Workforce was a prominent part of the Prime Minister’s announcement.
He described care workers as holding together a “threadbare system” despite low pay and said they had been overlooked by the political system. He promised to do everything he could to change things for the workforce and said that a National Care Service should give care workers proper recognition.
However, the speech did not set out detailed proposals on pay, terms and conditions, or workforce structures. Those details therefore remain to be confirmed and it is anticipated that workforce will be a key theme in the Casey Commission report when it is published.
For providers, the Prime Minister's speech provides the clearest indication yet of the government's intended direction of travel for social care reform, but leaves many important practical questions unanswered.
In particular, providers will want to understand:
These details will be critical to understanding the implications for the sector.
The immediate point for providers is that a National Care Service is not being introduced now. The government only intends to start laying the groundwork during this parliament, with the new service proposed for introduction in the next parliament. The Casey review will therefore be particularly important in shaping the detail and public support of the plans will be essential as they will only be implemented following the next general election.
Despite the uncertainties, the Prime Minister has set out a long-term vision for a universal care service. While its eventual form and implementation remain uncertain, this speech marks a significant milestone in the social care reform debate.
The focus will now shift to the development of the policy and its implications for commissioning, contracting, funding arrangements, workforce issues, and the future shape of the care market. Whilst the Casey Commission remains ongoing, there is an opportunity for providers to contribute to the debate and to influence how social care will be delivered in the future.
For further reading on this topic, see our previous article here.
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