Why Andy Burnham is right to put the workforce at the heart of social care reform

According to the Conversation, Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently insisted that fixing Britain's social care system means putting the workforce first. Social care workers now perform complex medical tasks—medication administration, blood sugar monitoring, wound care, post-operative physio—that used to fall to health professionals. Yet they face low pay, limited career progression, and little recognition for this expanding work. The pressure is mounting. Recent immigration policy closed off overseas recruitment, forcing the sector to attract a domestic workforce instead. A recent national survey found one in four care workers planning to leave as soon as they find another job, with low pay and the toll on their own wellbeing topping the reasons. Burnham's message is clear: without a stable, valued workforce, Britain's vision of social care reform stays an ambition, not a reality.

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