National Care Service - a template for the Labour Manifesto?

This post is not a declaration of supporting any political party!

It is highly likely at some point during 2024 the UK will have its first Labour Government since 2010.  Labour is keeping manifesto promises under wraps until an election date is announced and there is evidence emerging that manifesto promises will be safe and defensible rather than radical. 

However the public are expecting, if not demanding, radical improvements in NHS performance and the Labour manifesto will need to respond.  Part of the Labour plan will be to reduce pressures on the NHS by creating a National Care Service.  The plan will be strongly influenced by ’SUPPORT GUARANTEED - the roadmap to a National Care Service’ a report written by The Fabian Society for UNISON and the Labour party.

According to the authors:

The position now	National Care Service
Local authorities supposedly in charge but without the money or powers they need	National ministerial responsibility and leadership working in partnership with strong councils
Unclear entitlements that are often not realised in practice	Clear rights and entitlements and the ability to enforce them
Inconsistency in access to support and quality of care	Nationwide entitlements and geographic consistency
A fragile, fragmented and sometimes extractive ‘market’ of care providers	Commissioners and partners working together as part of a public service
Support only for people with limited means	Support and peace of mind for everyone
Inadequate funding and emergency cash injection	Long-term and sustainable approach to finance
Insufficient development of specialist housing and modern care home	Long-term certainty and funding to build new facilities
Inadequately reward staff and a recruitment and retention crisis	National terms and conditions working towards parity with the NHS
Unaffordable fees and inability to pool risks	Improvements to affordability by reducing the scope of charging over time

The National Care Service and its likelihood of success will depend on the answer to three questions.  Firstly, does Labour command a sufficiently large majority in the House of Commons to pass a bill without too many compromises? Secondly, is Labour willing to commit sufficient funding initially and on an ongoing basis during the life of parliament?  Thirdly, will funding for the National Care Service be ring fenced and protected from diversion by the NHS?