Andy vows care reform

London: British PM Andy Burnham on Wednesday ple­dg­ed to fix England’s “broken” social care system, calling decades of political failure to provide affordable and decent care a “maj­or dereliction of duty”.

Burnham said social care in England was “as unfair as American healthcare” and proposed creating a “national care service” alongside the taxpayer-funded National Health Service.

Burnham, who became prime minister last week, said improving care for the elderly, sick and disabled was his priority. With his father living with Alzheimer’s, he said the issue was personal.

He invited opposition leaders to talks on reform, saying change would require political consensus. The Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats agreed to attend. Burnham said reforms could involve tax increases and promised better pay, training and status for care workers.

—PTI