Social care was snubbed once more in the Spring Budget as chancellor Jeremy Hunt focused on tax cuts and providing more money for the NHS.

Major measures included a 2p cut in National Insurance and a £3.4 billion fully funded NHS productivity plan focused on digital transformation, but there was no new money for social care.

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Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: “Adult social care is an essential service to the public. The cries of our sector have fallen on deaf ears. A stable adult social care system is vital to the health of the NHS, but this relationship is clearly not appreciated. Care services are vital to local economies and employment opportunities, but this has also been overlooked.  This was the government’s last chance saloon to deliver on its promise but with no long-term commitment to funding the system, the situation grows increasingly perilous.”

Sam Monaghan, chief executive of MHA, said: “As expected, the chancellor has failed to address the current crisis facing the social care sector during the Spring Budget.

“Our ask is that, ahead of the next general election, all political parties present a credible, sustainable plan that resolves the current gap between government funding and the cost of providing care. After decades of successive governments dodging this question, there are now nearly half a million people waiting just for a social care assessment. This cannot continue.

“We also need to see a long-term strategy that tackles the estimated 152,000 staff vacancies in the sector and makes social care a stronger career choice for young people. This is why we’ve been calling on government to commit to the creation of a Social Care Council, which would value the sector and act as an independent body examining issues such as pay scales, working hours and recruitment on an ongoing basis.

“Solving current issues will require significant investment and any funding needs to be introduced in an affordable and manageable way. At the very least, we expect all political parties to understand and listen to the sector’s needs – and show their commitment to tackle challenges head on.”

Steve Veevers, chief executive of learning disability charity Hft, said: “The adult social care sector remains the poor cousin to the NHS as highlighted by the significant investment announced today for the health service, but nothing for social care.

“Even though the adult social care sector is inextricably linked to the success of the NHS (as recognised in the government’s long-term workforce plan), investment for our sector has received no attention at all.

“We implore the government to rethink its stance on adult social care funding, providing security through ringfencing measures so it reaches providers who are delivering vital support.

Rebecca Young, director of external affairs at Revitalise, said: “Today Hunt has emphasised the Conservative Party’s desire for better productivity and a higher quality of public services, mentioning also that it was one of ‘his great privileges to be health secretary’. Once again, however, we must strongly urge the government to consider how we go about meeting the surging demand for social care services after more than a decade of slashing budgets and a failure to protect the most vulnerable in our society. As always, social care has been forgotten.”

Patrick Wallace, director and co-founder of Curam, said: “The government must provide more investment to local authorities and offer more targeted financial support for carers, such as tax-deductible carer costs for family members, similar to what is available in Ireland.

“Fairer pay and free training are also needed to make the care sector a more attractive career and fill the gap in the workforce. And more stringent vetting of care professionals is needed to protect patients and remove unregulated care from the underground economy.

“By recognising the issues and offering more support tailored to the needs of both the industry and carers, the UK can take a significant step forward in improving social care.”