Care workers demanded action yesterday to plug a nightmare £1.1 billion black hole in council finances linked by experts to a growing crisis in England’s A&E departments.

GMB union national officer Justin Bowden attacked a generation of politicians for being in denial over the spiralling funding crisis and for “failing our elderly and vulnerable.”

He said: “The social contract by which citizens paid taxes and national insurance throughout their working lives, in the expectation of care and support if and when they needed, is being torn up in front of our eyes.

“Underfunding means an ever-increasing number of the adult population are living in a social care nightmare of 15-minute flying visits and substandard care homes.”

GMB hit out after the Local Government Association (LGA) warned that councils would have to raid other budgets for millions to meet their obligation to fund elderly care.

“Rapidly rising demand means that even with councils protecting social care from cash cuts, the provision of care is having to be cut back to make ends meet,” the LGA said.

A BBC analysis published yesterday found that spending per person had plummeted in real terms since taxpayers forked out billions on the bankers’ bailout in 2008.

Average funding per head was £1,188 in 2003-4 while last year it was as low as £951 — a 21 per cent drop.

“Even with councils pulling out the stops to shield social care from the cuts, our vulnerable elderly and disabled are seeing some support scaled back and waiting times grow when they press the call button,” said LGA chairman David Sparks.

In order to bridge part of the spending gap the Tory government has ordered £3.8bn to be diverted from the NHS budget via a Better Care Fund from next year.

But the decision has been criticised for draining cash from hospitals already reeling from funding cuts and reorganisation.

NHS campaign Health Emergency director Dr John Lister said the meltdown in elderly care had helped fuel rising waits for emergency care at A&Es.

“Social care’s collapsed,” he said. “It’s very hard to discharge patients.”

Labour has pledged a renewed focus on social care, including extra funding and staff.