Councils are rejecting nearly two-thirds of requests for care from vulnerable people, according to new figures.
The figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) reveal that councils turned down nearly 1.1 million requests from older or disabled people for social care help.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said the figures show how councils are struggling to meet social are demand on current levels of funding. Cllr Izzi Seccombe, the LGA's community wellbeing spokesman, said: ‘We need to see a change to the current perverse funding system which, over the last five years, has seen an increase in funding for the NHS but a decrease in funding for social care.
'This threatens to leave councils struggling to commission the essential support which keeps people out of hospital and living healthier and happier lives in their communities.’
Charity Independent Age warned that funding cuts in social care can often have an impact on other services, such as people being delayed from leaving hospital.
Chief executive, Janet Morrison, said: ‘Today's figures paint an alarming picture of social care services cut back to the bare bones. More than half (59% or nearly 1.1 million) of people who ask for help from their councils receive no help at all or are given information and then signposted on to someone else - often a charity or community group.
‘This is a direct result of £4.6bn cuts to social care budgets since 2010 and comes despite an ageing population which is increasing the need for these services.’