SINCE I was elected as an MP, I have been relentlessly campaigning for reform of the social care sector and free social care for all. I believe social care should be free at the point of need, just as healthcare is with the NHS.

If the state steps in when someone has cancer, why should an ageing person with dementia face an uphill battle – and potentially huge costs – to secure decent care?

The cost of care isn’t just measured in pounds and pence, it’s counted in dignity lost, in the slow, preventable decline of people we love, and in the unpaid hours’ family members sacrifice when they become carers overnight.

Good, reliable social care eases pressure on the NHS downstream: it prevents crises, reduces hospital admissions, speeds up discharge from hospital, and brings down waiting times.

Social care is the fence at the top of the cliff which means we need fewer ambulances at the bottom.

I’ve long argued that fixing this sector requires everyone to look beyond party politics. When people are ill or growing frail, they don’t need partisan labels; they need practical, compassionate support.

That’s why I pushed hard for cross-party talks and for Baroness Casey’s Social Care Commission to get moving after the delays earlier this year.

I’m genuinely delighted that the first cross-party meeting is finally happening. I’m ready to sit round the table with colleagues from across Parliament and to make the case for a system that treats care as a right, not a lottery.

What I’m calling for is practical and sustainable reform: a framework that guarantees support based on need, properly values and funds the care workforce, gives unpaid carers the backing they deserve, and provides councils and providers with long-term funding so they can plan for the future.

I’m frustrated that it’s taken so long to get to this point, but I’m optimistic too. Across North Herefordshire I’ve met countless people with ideas to fix the social care system that are rooted in kindness and compassion: ways to support neighbours, to improve local services, and to make care more reliable for everyone.

I’ll be taking those voices into the commission and pressing ministers for solutions that tackle the everyday struggles those in the care system face.