Burnham says 'difficult decisions' will have to be made on funding social care reform in England

Summary

Andy Burnham has given a speech on adult social care in England, pledging to "lift up" workers through pay and training
Talking about the care given to his father, who has Alzheimer's, the prime minister said carers "should be the best paid people in society, not the worst"
On funding reforms, he said more could be done with existing resources and "difficult decisions" would have to be taken
It's a strong signal that some form of tax rise is likely to fund Burnham's eventual plans, writes our political correspondent
Adult social care is normally provided by companies, rather than directly by the state - BBC Verify has looked at how much workers are paid
The PM also confirmed that a review by Baroness Casey would report a year earlier than planned - 2027 - and look at creating a "national care service"
What is social care? It involves help for someone with an illness or disability, and is a devolved issue - meaning Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland run their own systems. Read this explainer for more

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Live Reporting

Edited by Manish Pandey and Angus Thompson

'A moment of reckoning in social care': What is the Casey review?published at 09:39 BST 29 July

Image caption,
Baroness Casey is chairing a review into adult social care
As we mentioned earlier, Andy Burnham is expected to announce he's speeding up the Casey Commission when he speaks later today.
Here's what that is:
Baroness Louise Casey is chairing an independent review of adult social care in England. Her work began last summer and she is expected to report the review's findings by 2028.
The review is split into two phases. The first, medium term, looks to set out a plan for how to implement a National Care Service. This should report in 2026.
Phase two considers how social care is funded in the longer term, and is expected to report back by 2028.
And here's what Casey has said so far:
In March, Baroness Casey told the BBC the UK is facing a "moment of reckoning" in social care and called on the government to take action immediately to address current failings.
This morning, speaking to the Today programme, she said: "The vision that we must have for a country when it comes to a national care service is that the public do not have to face this constant battle lines between who does what and how.
"The idea that a member of the public is having to navigate their way through a system that tells you all you need to know about public services."
We'll bring you more from Casey's Today interview shortly.
What is social care?published at 09:28 BST 29 July

Top of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's agenda today is social care and his plans to reform it in England. But what is it?
Social care means services that provide practical help for someone with an illness or disability.
This can include help with washing and getting dressed, providing meals to your home, or long-term nursing support.
For those still living at home, the help can be carried out there; others who need round-the-clock support live in care homes where they can access those services.
Image source, Getty Images
As things stand, the social care system is mostly provided by companies rather than directly by the state.
Unlike the NHS, social care is not free at the point of use. In England and Northern Ireland, people with savings worth more than £23,250 are not entitled to help with care costs from their council.
In Wales and Scotland, different rules apply in terms of eligibility.
While social care is not limited to elderly people, they make up a large proportion of people needing this additional support. The charity Age UK estimates that there are two million older people in England now living with some unmet need for social care.

Burnham set for social care speech - with questions from reporters to followpublished at 09:22 BST 29 July
Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters
Andy Burnham is set to deliver a speech on social care reform in England later this morning - and will take questions from reporters for the first time since becoming prime minister.
Ahead of the speech, the prime minister invited the leaders of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats for talks on the issue, and he’s expected to say that finding cross-party common ground will be crucial.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said he would attend remotely but Tory leader Kemi Badenoch can't be there and is sending shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew instead.
Burnham is not expected to set out detailed plans today for a new social care system.
Last week he told the BBC the NHS would "collapse" if social care was not reformed, and today he is expected to announce he is speeding up the Casey Commission - an independent review that is drawing up recommendations to overhaul the care sector.
You’ll be able to watch the prime minister's speech live at the top of the page when it kicks off at 10:00 BST, and we’ll bring you the key lines, as well as his responses to journalists’ questions.