The majority of councils do not have the funding or staff to meet the care needs of older and disabled people this winter, a new survey has warned today.

The research by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) found 94% of directors in England feared they cannot get through the winter with the funding and number of care workers they have now.

Fewer than one in 10 directors think they could manage with existing resources over the next few months, the survey found.

ADASS also discovered social services leaders were being asked to find a further £113m savings from their budgets this year and were planning for £1.3bn savings in 2023-24.

Cathie Williams, ADASS chief executive, said: ‘This is the bleakest autumn survey we have ever had. Only a handful of directors have any confidence they may be able to get through the winter with the funding they have and the care workers available locally. We were fearful in the summer; we are fearful now. This affects all of us.

'The £500m discharge fund will not solve this, when it is finally distributed – and it is urgently needed. We desperately need another significant injection of emergency funding to provide more help for people at home.'