Prime Minister Andy Burnham has brought forward the deadline for Baroness Casey’s report on social care reform to 2027, from the original 2028.

He has now proposed widespread changes to how social care is funded at the Labour party conference in Liverpool. His plan is a National Care Service, which he says will be as significant as the creation of the NHS.

Previous attempts to improve social care in the UK have done little for people who need a home carer, a day care place or a residential care home. The main barrier is cost, and residential care is the most expensive element of dementia care, for example.

Any of us may need social care at some point, so it makes sense to think about how it is paid for while we are well. The details of how a National Care Service would be funded have yet to be fleshed out. Other European countries offer some useful comparisons.

Germany, Sweden and Norway

Across Europe, social care........

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