- National Care Service to be established as soon as possible in next parliament
- Will provide free personal care for older people in Portsmouth
- Funded by adjusting State Pensions Triple-Lock from April 2030 to save £15 Billion
- State Pension set to still rise every year (by either inflation or 2.5%)
Stephen Morgan MP has welcomed the announcement of this Government’s new settlement for older people, which includes protecting the State Pension (SP), ensuring no care charges, and establishing a National Care Service (NCS).
This follows reporting that, within the UK, two in three people say they cannot afford care and nearly seven in ten people say the price of care is unfair.
In response, Labour has committed to establishing a new NCS that provides older people with free personal care as soon as possible in the next Parliament. This NCS will be founded on the same principles as the NHS, where everyone contributes and everyone is covered.
Outcomes of Baroness Louise Casey’s ongoing review on adult social carer will be used to inform the Government’s approach for how and when to establish and develop the NCS.
The Government has outlined that the establishment of the NCS will be funded by adjusting the SP Triple-Lock from April 2030, honouring Labour’s manifesto commitment to maintain the lock throughout this Parliament.
Following this adjustment, the Triple-Lock will still contain three elements:
- Inflation
- A long terms earning link
- The 2.5% minimum
As a result, the SP will always continue to rise each year, whether this is by inflation, 2.5%, or any additional amount needed to maintain the value relative to average earnings across the UK.
Currently, the SP is set to rise by over £2,000 by the end of the decade, reaching almost 30% of average earnings and marking the highest it has ever been.
Alongside this, Labour is also supporting pensioners through:
- Biggest drive in history to ensure those eligible are receiving Pension Credit (resulting in 81% increase in claims)
- Delivering £150 Warm Home Discount for low-income households from October
- Reducing NHS waiting lists by over 400,000 through record funding
Research from the Department for Work and Pensions shows that the adjusted Triple-Lock will see pensioner poverty fall from around 14% in 2024/25 to around 8% in 2049/50.
Additionally, the NCS is intended to create savings for the NHS by resulting in fewer ambulance call outs, fewer A&E admissions, and fewer beds being occupied by people who do not want or need to be there.
Reforming the Triple-Lock will also mean that younger people can feel confident that the state pension will be there for them in retirement, as it was for generations coming before.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“This Government’s new settlement for older people will not only ensure that social care is available to all those who need it later in life but also protect the financial stability of older people by continuing to increase State Pensions.
“Older people in Portsmouth deserve a better deal. Those who have worked hard throughout their lives should be able to look forward to security and dignity in their later years. Unfortunately, many pensioners in recent years have lost their savings to pay for personal care.
“Politics involves difficult choices. Adjusting the Triple-Lock will help us fund necessary care support for pensioners to ensure that everyone in our city can access the support they need as they age and enjoy greater peace of mind”.
