The government has revealed the funding allocations for a £40 million urgent and emergency care fund designed to ease winter pressures.

The top-up fund, which comes in addition to £200 million to boost the NHS, was announced in September.

Minister of state for care, Helen Whately, said: “We know winter will be challenging, which is why we started preparing earlier than ever before so people get the care they need. We’re supporting local councils with targeted funding to use where it’s needed most. With a focus on speeding up hospital discharge and increasing social care provision, this money will help the NHS care for people through the winter.”

The funding, which is being paid today, can be used to buy more services aimed at keeping people out of hospital, as well as more packages of home care.

Kent local authority is receiving the largest grant allocation of £2.9 million with Hampshire also receiving over £2 million.

Grants of over £1 million are also being given to Cornwall, Devon, Hertfordshire, Liverpool, Manchester, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: “New money for social care is always welcome, but the challenge is to make sure it gets to care providers. The NHS has a very poor history of engagement with social care and this funding must be very carefully monitored to ensure it reaches care providers and has an impact on delayed discharges from hospitals.”

While welcoming the extra funding, Independent Care Group chair, Mike Padgham, said it was another example of “knee-jerk, piecemeal funding that does little to tackle the underlying problems within social care”.

“We need proper reform that will provide better funding for the sector, pay staff properly and ensure adequate social care provision all the time, not just an emergency sticking plaster when hospitals are bursting at the seams,” Padgham said.

“And it is important to say that, once divided across quite a long list of local authorities in need, that extra money doesn’t go very far. We must also ensure that it is spent on the delivery of care at the sharp end and not lost in bureaucracy as has happened before.”

Cathie Williams, joint chief executive of ADASS said: “Directors of adult social services will welcome this £40 million extra support but it will still be a big challenge to meet the needs of older and disabled people in our communities this winter given the savings needed.

“Emergency cash pots help, but local authorities need proper long-term funding for social care so they can put in place good quality care and support all year round, to help people stay well at home and avoid hospital.”

UNISON head of social care Gavin Edwards said: “This is a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of the problem.

“It will do next to nothing to fix the deep-rooted problems in social care. Anyone trying to arrange a care package knows all too well that the system is broken.

“Instead of endless short-term measures to patch up a sector in crisis, the government must commit to complete reform. What’s needed is a national care service that’s adequately funded, with proper standards and fair pay for its workforce.”