A National Care Service has been promised. What changes for families now?
By David Hall, founder, AirCarers Companion. Published 1 October 2026.
On 29 September 2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his Labour Party conference speech to promise a National Care Service for England, founded on the same principles as the NHS, with free personal care for older people to be introduced in the next parliament, after the general election due by 2029. Part of the cost would come from adjusting the state pension triple lock from April 2030. The detail is still to come, and the Casey Commission, due to report in 2027, will shape how it works.
Nothing changes yet. Today's council charging rules still apply, including the £23,250 savings limit. The article covers reactions from the King's Fund, Age UK, the Homecare Association, ADASS and a YouGov poll, the gap between managing fine and qualifying for funded care, and practical steps: ask Hertfordshire County Council for a free needs assessment and a carer's assessment, check Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit, ask about the discharge plan and free reablement in hospital, keep company and routine going, hold off on big decisions based on a pledge, and have your say in the Big Conversation on Care. Read our story.
AirCarers Companion is help before care, with local companions in Ware, Hertford, Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Bishop's Stortford and Sawbridgeworth, from £25 an hour. We are not CQC registered and do not provide personal or clinical care. If someone is coming home from hospital, a companion can travel home with them and stay for company while they settle in; see our hospital discharge support page. Call 07455 750006 or email lucie@aircarers.co.uk.