'Andy Burnham's social care reform must work to stop millions of families from suffering'

Andy Burnham, whose father has Alzheimers, has promised to reform social care as, on Wednesday, he said he recognised millions face unfairness with the current system

21:34, 29 Jul 2026Updated 21:34, 29 Jul 2026

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Voice of the Mirror has its say...

Britains social care crisis is measured in exhausted families, abandoned pensioners and dedicated workers paid far less than they deserve. That is why Andy Burnhams words matter. Speaking from painful family experience, the Prime Minister praised the carers who looked after his father and said they should be among the best-paid people in society, rather than the worst. He is right. Care workers perform demanding, intimate and deeply human work, yet too many survive on poverty wages while 1.9 million older people go without the help they need. For decades, governments have ducked reform because the choices are difficult and the costs politically dangerous. Families have paid the price. Cross-party talks must mark an end to delay, excuses and cynical point-scoring. Speeding up the Casey Commission is welcome, but Britain needs more than another report. A universal, properly funded care system would protect dignity, reward carers, and stop families facing this crisis alone.

Deliver safety

Closing the maternity unit at Englands most remote mainland hospital risks turning childbirth into a dangerous dash along rural roads. Pregnant women in the south west now face journeys of up to 90 minutes to Exeter because North Devon District Hospital lacks doctors. That is frightening for any family. For women in fast labour, it could be catastrophic. Ministers cannot treat this as a local staffing problem. A unit already operating at the edge of safe cover has been pushed beyond it. Doctors must be brought in to keep births in Barnstaple. Families should not fear roadside deliveries because the NHS cannot fill two consultant posts. Mothers and babies deserve safety, dignity and a hospital close enough to reach.

Glad for Sara

Sara Pascoe says Celebrity Gladiators will fulfil her childhood dream of humiliating herself on television. Most of us manage that without facing a giant in Lycra armed with a pugil stick. Still, she deserves credit for volunteering. The faces may be familiar, but the bruises will need no introduction.

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