THE Prime Minister Andy Burnham has set out his commitment to end decades of political drift on social care and fix the system so that it gives people dignity, security and support when they need it most.

Last week the Prime Minister set out the urgency of the situation and his commitment to bring the political will needed to tackle the challenge at hand, taking on the tough issues that Westminster has ducked for too long.

He stressed the need for all political parties to put differences aside and come together to find solutions, with an approach focused on problem solving rather than point scoring.

The Prime Minister set out that social care reform was essential not only for those actively needing support, but also for the long-term future of the NHS.

Mr Burnham confirmed that he would bring forward the date for Baroness Casey’s commission to report back with a plan on how to deliver the National Care Service, accelerating this from 2028 to next summer.

However, Louis Stark a Herefordshire Councillor representing Ross-on-Wye has been calling for a National Care Service to be set up for some time and said that our quality of life should not suffer while maintaining independence and a reasonable quality of life.

He added: “It is hardly surprising against that there has been increased traction around the benefit of setting-up a National Care Service and funded centrally, although still delivered locally through care providers, probably with some oversight from local authorities.

“The aim would be to build a more stable service that offered more nationwide rights, consistent standards, access and functions, to ensure those needing care had equal opportunity to obtain it and putting them at the heart of a system, which would give them more choice over where to get it.

“But this should not just be aimed at the elderly, but also at those with disabilities and other vulnerable adults.

“Building a National Care Service could also help drive wider economic growth and we could start to think about longer-term reform, especially how it could be better integrated with the NHS to provide a better end-to end service and focus on workforce issues, including professionalism and qualifications.”

The Government’s health and social care secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Too many older and disabled people are being let down by a broken system, while millions of unpaid carers shoulder an enormous burden every day.

“When social care fails, it affects people’s independence, families’ lives and communities across the country.

“More than 50 years ago, Barbara Castle recognised that health and social care must work hand in hand.

“Today, with demand for care rising and more people relying on support to live independently, that vision has never been more important.

“For decades, governments have struggled to solve this challenge. A failure to tackle the broken social care system has piled pressure on NHS services with thousands of people stuck in hospital beds despite being medically fit to leave, some of which are due to a lack of capacity of adult social care services.”