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PM slams ‘brutal’ rising costs for communal social care charities
EXCLUSIVE: Writing for Jewish News, Andy Burnham accuses 'Westminster' of turning a blind eye to their struggles
Andy Burnham has acknowledged the “brutal rising costs” faced by Jewish social care charities, and has accused “Westminster” of turning a blind eye to their struggles over the past few years.
Following a visit to Jewish Care’s north-west London premises, Burnham told Jewish News: “I want to say plainly to the charities in this community: I know you have been carrying this system while Westminster looked away, and I know the last few years of rising costs have been brutal.”
His remarks appear to address the frustration felt by many social care organisations, including Jewish Care, following former chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to increase employers’ National Insurance contributions (eNICs) and lower the threshold at which employers start paying this tax.
While the public sector received some relief, commissioned social care providers like Jewish Care were excluded from these concessions.
At the time, Jewish Care CEO Daniel Carmel-Brown warned that the changes would cost the charity over £1.1 million annually.
He said the resulting pressure would force the charity to ramp up community fundraising to avoid cuts to vital services.
Despite these financial strains, Jewish Care continues to run community centres, mental health hubs, and residential care homes, offering kosher meals, dementia support, and tailored services across London and the South East.
Writing for Jewish News, Burnham further stated: “I have asked Baroness Casey to bring her review forward by a year, and to answer how we build a National Care Service in England: integrated with the NHS, preventative, person-centred, with home care wherever possible.
“Person-centred has to mean what it means here: care that fits someone’s faith, their language, their memories, not a service that flattens all that out. We are not waiting for the workforce review.”
He added: “I want the fair pay agreement turned into a proper career, with training, security and progression. The 1,500 staff and 3,000 volunteers who make Jewish Care possible deserve that.”
Norwood Chief Executive Naomi Dickson welcomed Burnham’s pledge to accelerate the timeline for Baroness Casey’s Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, moving the report’s publication to summer 2027.
She said:“We were concerned about the lengthy timeline for reform and have long called for the Commission to engage all stakeholders in developing swift, decisive recommendations that can help turn the government’s ambitions for lasting change into reality.
“We welcome the government’s renewed commitment to addressing the significant challenges facing social care, particularly the real cost of funding care now and in the future. This will help ensure that specialist providers like Norwood can continue to support the growing number of adults, children, young people and families in our community who rely on our services, with or without a diagnosis.
“The launch of the Big Conversation on Care is equally heartening. Any reform of the social care system must be co-designed with people with lived experience to ensure it is meaningful and fit for purpose.
“We also welcome its commitment to working across party lines to take a new approach to reform. Social care providers such as Norwood are under more pressure than ever. We urge the government and the Commission to continue engaging all stakeholders in what must be a national conversation about a national issue.”
Bayla Perrin, CEO of the Paperweight charity said: “We welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to reform social care.
“For too long, vulnerable people and their families have been left trying to cope with a system that is confusing and too difficult to navigate.
“Reform is long overdue, but it must be matched by practical support that helps people access the care and financial help they are entitled to.
“No one should have to face illness, disability or caring responsibilities while battling a system they cannot navigate. Too often, people come to us overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. We help them access the support they need so they are not left to face these challenges alone.”
Richard Franklin, Chief Executive at Kisharon Langdon, added: “The Prime Minister’s announcement today is significant in recognising both the urgency of reforming social care and the vital contribution of the workforce that supports millions of people every day.
“We know that high-quality, person-centred social care transforms lives, and agree with the Prime Minister that it depends on a skilled, dedicated workforce which is nationally undervalued.
“The commitment to bring forward Baroness Louise Casey’s review and accelerate plans for a National Care Service is an important first step, and Kisharon Langdon has already submitted evidence to the Casey Commission on the challenges we experience in adult social care.
“It is essential that any reforms are shaped by the experiences of people who draw on care and support, their families and specialist providers, ensuring that personalised support remains at the heart of social care.”
Burnham also reflected on his visit to Jewish Care in Golders Green.
He told Jewish News:“I came to Jewish Care in Golders Green today because it shows what good looks like. I first visited thirteen years ago, and I remember thinking, this is the gold standard, this is how it should be. Whole person care. You know it when you see it.”
The PM added:“What this community understands, and what the system too often forgets, is that care is not a task list. It is knowing that the kosher meal matters, that Shabbat matters, that the challah delivered to someone’s door is not a nice extra but part of the care itself.
“Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre is the only place of its kind in the country. Those are people who lost everything once. This country should not be asking them, or their children, to lose all they have rebuilt in order to pay for care.”
This week, eight major organisations representing the social care sector across the UK called on the Prime Minister to urgently exempt providers from the recent National Insurance increases.
Their joint letter – signed by Care England, Care Forum Wales/Fforwm Gofal Cymru, Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS), Homecare Association, Independent Health & Care Providers (Northern Ireland), National Care Forum, Scottish Care, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) – described such action as “a vital first step in providing relief to a sector under immense pressure, while […] more work is done to ensure social care provision can flourish, sustainably, at the heart of our communities.”
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