Commenting on the adult social care reform white paper, published by the government, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

"We welcome the publication of a white paper, which marks an important step towards a much-needed national vision for social care.

"However, it is disappointing that government has not fully seized this opportunity to place social care onto a sustainable footing.

"There remains a need for tangible, fully funded measures to improve pay and to tackle high vacancy levels in the social care workforce, to support the provider market, and to increase access and improve quality of care.

"We would also urge government to heed calls to offer urgent support to social care colleagues to help recruit and retain essential care workers over the winter months."