Better use of the £140bn spent annually on older people would obviate the need to plug the gap in social care funding, the Nuffield Trust has reported.

A study by the health care think tank, entitled 'Reforming social care: options for funding', recommends using of some of the NHS' annual £1.5bn under-spend to extend care eligibility and shifting more of the health budget to social care – which currently accounts for just 6% of expenditure.