Councils have said £500m pledged by the Government for social care this winter to improve discharges from hospitals ‘falls short of what is required'.

Health and social care secretary Thérèse Coffey said the money was a ‘down payment' on rebalancing funding between health and social care in the coming years.

Chairman of the County Councils' Network (CCN), Tim Oliver, said: ‘This funding will assist with hospital discharges, but will not address other issues within the care system, such as over 500,000 people on care waiting lists, chronic staff shortages with over 160,000 vacancies, and major concerns that the introduction of reforms next year could exacerbate these financial and workforce pressures.'

Earlier this week, CCN released new research that estimated inflation could add £3.7bn to social care costs this year and next.

Healthcare leaders have warned of a ‘health emergency' this winter if the Government fails to properly fund the social care system.

The NHS Confederation said higher rates of social care pay was needed to boost recruitment and retention.

Chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, said: ‘NHS leaders agree that extra investment in social care, particularly in social care pay to boost recruitment and retention in a system that has at least 165,000 vacancies, would be one of the best and most effective actions the Government could take to reduce pressure in the health service.

‘Failure to address the lack of capacity in social care is a big reason why we have seen ambulances queued up outside hospitals all summer.

‘The Government must grip this problem and invest in extra social care capacity. We have days and weeks to get this right or risk a health emergency this winter.'

Chairman of the Local Government Association's community wellbeing board, David Fothergill, added: ‘The chronic underfunding of social care over the last decade has led to a high number of vacancies within the sector and huge unmet and under-met need.

‘Comprehensive funding of adult social care will not only alleviate pressure on the NHS, but will mean thousands of people are able to live an equal life.

‘Adequate funding of social care, including community care and fall prevention work, also means people are less likely to end up in hospital at all.'

General secretary of trade union Unison, Christina McAnea, added: 'The desperate shortage of workers and huge funding shortfall is placing the entire system at risk of collapse.'