British PM announces plans to reform social care
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Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Tuesday announced plans to reform the country's social care in a three-stage effort.
Brown said the British government will be setting out the route to a national care service that will benefit every family in the country.
The reforms will be introduced in three stages starting with a "radical overhaul" of care in the home which will help more of the old people at home.
"Secondly, building up the care service, so that people who have been in care homes for more than two years will get their care for free. And thirdly, paving the way towards the introduction of a comprehensive national care service available to all," he said.
Brown said Britain's current care and support system "is no longer adequate for these challenges we see ahead."
"It cannot meet all our needs, nor match our aspirations. And if left unchanged, it would not cope with the extra demand in years to come," Brown said.
"Our answer is bold, ambitious reform to create a system firmly rooted in the proudest traditions of our national health service: personal care, there for you when you need it," he added.
The reforms, which the prime minister said are based on a belief in fairness and responsibility, will be set out by Health Secretary Andy Burnham later Tuesday.
The latest opinion poll showed that the Conservative party extended its lead over Labour, but the gap isn't enough to guarantee Tory leader David Cameron an outright parliamentary majority in the general election. The Labour government is putting forward more plans in a bid to attract additional voters.
