In its upcoming report, No man's land: the experience of patients at the interface between health and social care, the think-tank calls for a review into the decline in CHC eligibility and the rise in reassessments, with a particular focus on reducing unwarranted variation between areas.

Katie Purbrick-Thompson and Niamh Buckingham, co-authors of the report and Policy Advisers at The King's Fund, said: 'This is just one example of the interaction between NHS and the social care system being broken. A lot of the time, the right hand does not know what the left is doing and it leads to people falling through the cracks and suffering as a result.

'As we set out in our report, there is only so far tinkering around the edges will go. If we want a joined-up health and care system that improves both the NHS's performance and people's quality of life, expanding eligibility to publicly funded social care is fundamental.'

The research found the proportion of recipients no longer to be eligible upon reassessment has risen by almost 30% since 2017/18 despite the criteria for support having remained unchanged.

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Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor, chair of the Local Government Association's (LGA) Health and Wellbeing Committee, said: ‘Both the NHS and local government face significant financial pressure, but councils cannot continue to absorb costs being passed onto them, particularly through CHC when there are disputes about who should be paying.  The additional costs can add up to several million pounds for each council.'

The LGA echoed the call by The King's Fund for the Casey Commission to review CHC alongside the wider relationship between health and social care. 

‘This must be backed by long-term, sustainable funding for both health and social care, so people get the care and support they need,' she said.

A DHSC said: ‘NHS CHC is vital for people with the most significant ongoing health needs and we are committed to ensuring those who are eligible receive the support they need.

‘Eligibility is based on an individual's assessed needs and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring those assessments are carried out properly as well as funding consistently and efficiently.

‘For people with rapidly deteriorating conditions who may be nearing the end of life, the Fast Track pathway helps ensure appropriate care and support is put in place as quickly as possible.'