The report says moving from the current system where each local authority assesses people's needs and finances to a national model could provide greater consistency and limit the risk of care being rationed due to budgetary constraints.

Simon Bottery, senior fellow, The King's Fund and author of Fixing social care: the six key problems and how to tackle them, said: ‘It would be a major change to shift away from the principle that people's social care needs and finances should be assessed by local authorities. However, it works well in other countries and now is the time to explore whether it would be an improvement here as well.'

The report calls for more people to be entitled to publicly funded social care through making the current means-tested system more generous and by introducing a cap on care costs as the ‘very minimum'. It says alternative measures such as free personal care in Scotland or a social insurance system such as Germany should also be commissioned by the Government's Casey Commission on reform.

The think-tank adds the cost of providing care should be more of a partnership between the individual and the state and welcomes the Government's £500m Fair Pay Agreement as a first step to a long-term solution.

The King's Fund also argues it is not sustainable for social care providers to face cost rise above fee increases from local authorities and calls for a review of NHS continuing healthcare.

Baroness Casey's Independent Commission into adult social care will deliver its first recommendations next year.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Baroness Louise Casey is working on the independent commission into adult social care to build consensus for a National Care Service that is fair and affordable for all - and will look at how best to meet the current and future needs of the population.

‘This includes speaking with experts, charities, the sector and people drawing on care to inform her recommendations.

‘But we know the sector needs urgent support, which is why we are providing a funding boost of more than £4bn, delivered the biggest uplift to the Carer's Allowance threshold since the 1970s, investing an additional £172m in the Disabled Facilities Grant, and have launched the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care workers.'