Dignity At the Heart of Care

• A new National Care Service.

• Dignity must be at the heart of care. Labour will deliver a new National Care Service - the Tories threaten a local care lottery.

• As Andy Burnham said:
  
  "Dignity must be at the heart of care. To achieve this we are transforming the care and support system to make it fairer, simpler and more affordable for everyone. We will soon be setting out our plans for a new National Care Service and are introducing free personal care for those living at home with the highest needs."

• Andy also announced a new Dignity Action Day and a £50,000 Bright Ideas Grant (BIG) for innovative projects that encourage dignity in care. This comes as Sir Michael Parkinson publishes a personal account of his year as the nation's Dignity Ambassador.

• The Tories offer not a national care service but a local care lottery. David Cameron's plan would do nothing for people unless they leave their homes and move into permanent residential care. The Tories have been forced to concede that they would not cover the full costs of all residential care, so under Conservative plans pensioners may end up having to pay top-ups.