Andy Burnham warned social care reform is 'vital' ahead of cross-party crunch talks

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been warned that social care reform is "vital" for the country to continue care sustainably.

Speaking to GB News, Liberal Democrats Health and Social Care Spokesperson Alison Bennett MP said: "I think these talks today are just the beginning of what I hope is a series of meetings and conversations that are going to bring forward urgent change in our social care system.

"There have been over the years, 22 attempts by politicians to get social care sorted. Those 22 attempts have all failed. It is vital, with an ageing population, that this 23rd attempt works.

"There are four million unpaid family carers in England alone who are looking after their loved ones and they're not getting the support they need."

She added: "And so in terms of the Liberal Democrats' red lines, we're really pleased that Andy Burnham has sort of grasped the nettle on this in his second week in office.

"And we've set out three tests, the first thing is that family carers are front and centre. The second is that we make sure there is a universal safety net, so everybody should have access to free personal care.

"And thirdly, we think nobody should have to pay catastrophic costs. It's estimated that one in seven of us will have care costs in their lifetime of over £100,000, and we think that should be prevented from happening."

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