Hospital beds in England may fill up with the elderly and vulnerable because of cuts to local authority social care funding, a top NHS figure has warned.
The claim came from the head of the NHS Confederation, Nigel Edwards, in a letter to the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Edwards said people who needed medical treatment may be denied a hospital bed as a result of the cuts.
The Department for Health responded that an extra �2bn was being allocated to protect social care.
Health spending was ring-fenced in Chancellor George Osborne's Spending Review.
However, councils in England are facing a 27% cut in central government funding over the next four years.
Mr Edwards, whose organisation represents health service bodies in England, said this funding squeeze could have a "knock-on effect" on the health service.
In his letter to the Telegraph, Mr Edwards said: "Less support from council services will quickly lead to increased pressure on emergency services and hospitals.
"Hospital beds will be blocked for those who badly need care because the support services the elderly require after discharge will not be available."
Spending Review: Key measures
<!-- pullout-items--> <!-- pullout-body-->� �81bn cut from public spending over four years
� 19% average departmental cuts - less than the 25% expected
� �7bn extra welfare cuts, including changes to incapacity, housing benefit and tax credits
� �1.8bn increase in public sector pension employee contributions by 2014
� Rise in state pension age brought forward
� 7% cut for local councils from April next year
� Permanent bank levy
� Rail fares to rise 3% above inflation from 2012
<!-- pullout-links-->He added: "When it comes to the care of the most vulnerable in our society, it really is essential that the NHS and local authorities are in it together."
The Department of Health said it understood that "social care can impact on NHS demands".
A spokeswoman said: "That's why we are strengthening programmes like re-ablement and the 30-day re-admission tariff, which will integrate hospital care with care in the community.
"We have allocated an additional �2bn by 2014-15 - this extra boost, alongside an ambitious programme of efficiency, will ensure that there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.
"We expect local health and social care professionals will work together to ensure that the funding is spent on joint health and social care priorities and improve outcomes for everyone."
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