Leading care leaders have called on the Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, to include a rescue plan for the already struggling care sector in today’s budget.

Mike Padgham, chair of The Independent Care Group said: “Social care is at crisis point, with more and more people not getting the care they need and 90,000 care job vacancies on any one day.

“The Budget gives the Government the opportunity to take emergency measure to alleviate the hardship currently being felt by almost a million and a half people.”

The care group said the Government should merge NHS health care and social care in a National Care and Health Service and called for grated social care funding.

“Investing in social care alleviates the strain on NHS services and gives people the care they need – it also supports a sector that is vital to the economy and which has to grow in the future to meet rising demand. If, as the Prime Minister has claimed, austerity is over, then our oldest and most vulnerable adults should be the first to see the benefit,” said Mr Padgham.

The group also want to see a bursary that would encourage more nursing staff into the profession and have dementia regarded as a health issue and supported like other illnesses.