Local government leaders have called for £700m earmarked to support social care services to be released immediately.
The Local Government Association says the money for the Better Care Fund, due to be released over the next four years, should be used to support services which are under severe strain now.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, the LGA's community wellbeing spokeswoman, said: 'Even with the same amount of money to spend in four years’ time pressures on spending will need to be funded by councils finding savings elsewhere.
'It is inevitable that adult social care will have to contribute to this process, which in turn may continue to impact on provider fee levels.
'Therefore, while the measures announced in the Spending Review for social care are welcome and go some way to addressing the problems facing adult social care funding, concerns remain that future years will still be extremely challenging, particularly the next two.'
She said the introduction of the National Living Wage was welcome but would increase pressures significantly.
Unpredictable and unplanned potentially large cost increases could drive many providers out of the market before any potential higher local authority income for social care kicks in.
'That is why the LGA is calling for £700m of the funding earmarked for social care through the Better Care Fund by the end of the decade to be brought forward now, to ease the severe strain on services supporting the elderly and vulnerable.'
