EXCLUSIVE: Affected families have waited far too long for a social care support with many now at crisis point, Dementia UK warns, as the charity tells leaders to get around the table
Dementia UK has demanded the the Prime Minister to make the difficult decisions to tackle the crisis-hit social care sector head-on now.
Andy Burnham today invited opposition leaders for urgent talks to give people the dignity and support they deserve by finally getting a grip of the creaking system. He says the government has reached a fair pay agreement to come in for the 2028/29 financial year – but says he wants a bigger reform to lift the drained social care workforce.
Dementia UK say they are encouraged by the launch of the Big Conversation but say the changes need to come and soon. They say urgent social care reform is required now after the new PM accused politicians of a ‘shameful’ response to the issue with families at risk of being plunged into debt and poverty
‘There’s an urgent need for reform’
Speaking to the Mirror, James White, Head of Campaigns at Dementia UK, said: “Families affected by dementia have waited far too long for a social care system that works for them. Every day, Dementia UK hears from people navigating a fragmented system, often without specialist support, pushing them to crisis point. Bringing forward the Commission’s timetable is a positive step in recognising the urgent need for reform.
“A national conversation on this scale is an important opportunity to hear directly from people who use social care and the families who support them. People affected by dementia must be at its heart, and their experiences must meaningfully shape the Casey Commission’s recommendations and the Government’s response.
“Baroness Casey has already recognised the need for better support for people affected by dementia. The Government must now turn that recognition into practical reform. The real test will be whether families can access co-ordinated, specialist support from diagnosis through to the end of life.”
The comments come as TV favourite and former Mirror columnist Fiona Phillips’ husband said Mr Burnham’s proposals for social care offered hope as the Labour leader received early backing from one of the country’s most high-profile campaigners on the issue.
Martin Frizell, 67, began caring for Fiona at home when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2022 after months of brain fog and anxiety symptoms.
Since then, he has repeatedly urged the government to do more for carers, highlighting his own struggles with mental health and the sense of “guilt” that comes with balancing work and full-time care. Fiona first revealed her diagnosis to the Mirror in July 2023 after living with the condition for 18 months.
Burnham’s bid to help his dad and ‘millions like him’
The Prime Minsiter, whose father also has Alzheimer’s, promised to reform social care to help “my dad and the millions like him” faced with the unfairness of the current system.
His first steps include accelerating Baroness Louise Casey’s review of social care so it will report next year, drawing up reforms to improve the “strength and the capability” of the workforce, and holding cross-party talks with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to find a consensus on the issue.
Age UK also welcomed Mr Burnham’s speech today as the PM outlined his plans to fix social care. Caroline Abrahams, the charity’s director, said: “The Prime Minister made clear today that he is totally committed to fundamental social care reform and that can only be a good thing for older people.
“These are exciting times and we look forward to hearing a lot more after the summer break, if not before.”“It’s right that the Prime Minister has asked Louise Casey to accelerate her independent commission so it reports in a year’s time and we hope the Big Conversation she launched today will help to draw out what the public want to see from social care, as well as thinking through the funding options.
“We won’t all necessarily have to pay more as individuals for a better system of social care but it’s likely we’ll have to pay differently: at present older people often face big bills when they are in crisis- for example after a fall. It would be much better if we followed the example of many other developed nations & paid in to a big pot in advance or after our deaths, so when we need care it’s there for us, however much or little money we actually have.”