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Press release

The King's Fund responds to Andy Burnham’s comments on social care and Yvette Cooper's appointment as new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

  • 20 Jul 2026

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Responding to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s recent comments on social care and the appointment of Yvette Cooper as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King's Fund said:

‘Unlike many of her predecessors, Yvette Cooper has been given a very clear mandate. The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has said that his government must have the courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected, including social care.  

‘Given this new focus, long overdue need for action and the Prime Minister’s personal commitment to fix social care, social care reform should be at the top of Yvette Cooper's in-tray. The new Prime Minister has already spoken about his desire for social care to operate on an ‘NHS principle’ and pointed to the billions, as our recent work highlights, that delayed discharges cost to the health service a year. To deliver this, the new Secretary of State will have to move at speed. 

‘Alongside this, there will be a host of challenges and live issues. Reviving the promised ‘health mission’, will be one of these. The prevention revolution has for the most part stalled since the historic Tobacco and Vapes Act but action across government to consider the implications for health in all policies would signal a step change.  

‘Steering through the largest NHS reorganisation in over a decade in the form of the Health Bill alongside implementing a sweep of plans and strategies already set in motion such as the 10-Year Health Plan, life sciences sector plan, capital plan, cancer plan and upcoming workforce plan, will all need Yvette Cooper's immediate attention. 

‘The new Prime Minister has also stated that a driving focus of his government will be an expansion of devolution as part of a broad change over how the country is run. This will affect health and care even if the ambition is much larger. It implies a greater focus on the wider determinants of health, from housing to employment, which could be transformational in improving the nation’s health if implemented effectively by preventing illness and reducing demand.  

‘The King’s Fund’s previous work looked at Greater Manchester’s approach to population health and this could be a model that Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper take forward in other parts of the country. 

‘The last administration understood the need to urgently improve how people access and experience health and care services, but with their focus on reducing elective waiting lists, had limited capacity to tackle longer term issues. This new government has the opportunity to make the tough choices necessary to rebuild for the longer term, creating a social care system and broader health service that is genuinely fit for the future.’ 

Notes to editors: 

The King’s Fund’s recent work on delayed discharges:  

The King’s Fund work on devolution and Greater Manchester’s approach to population health:

The King’s Fund’s recent work on social care:  

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