Funding given to local authorities to deal with the coronavirus crisis must urgently get through to independent adult social care services, a new report has warned.
Care England warned that any delay in receiving funding will put services that were already struggling financially at risk of closure.
Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: 'The pandemic presents social care providers with unbearable human costs, but also has severe financial implications.
'As an immediate priority we implore Central Government to instruct local authority commissioners to use the funds allocated to them for the frontline.'
Care England also said that some local authorities have yet to engage with independent care providers by failing to offer 5% for National Minimum Wage and 10% for COVID-19 costs to care homes.
Professor Green added: 'Ultimately, during this time of crisis, social care providers should be given the necessary resources to allow them to focus solely upon providing care and support to some of societies' most vulnerable, as opposed to having to engage in a piecemeal manner with local authorities and struggle for every part of their viability.'
In response, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, said: 'We recognise the challenges and additional costs that social care providers face in delivering services at this difficult time. Councils are already taking action to support providers in meeting the additional costs that they face locally and in managing cash flow challenges.
'Councils are also pressing government to try and secure much needed PPE for care providers and to ensure easy access to testing for residents of care homes, those supported in their own homes and care workers.'
