The council-run care system for the elderly and adults with disabilities is becoming "unsustainable", social services chiefs are warning.
A survey of 144 social care departments in England found savings of more than a quarter had had to be made since 2010.
Funding cuts and rising demands are key problems, says the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.
They predicted the situation would get worse, despite attempts to channel extra NHS money into the system.
The survey found the total budget put aside for means-tested social care by councils in 2014-15 stands at £13.68bn.
That represents a drop in cash terms of £266m from last year and a real terms cut of 12% since 2010 once inflation is taken into account.
At the same time the survey, which covered 95% of the total social care departments in England, showed demand for support has risen by 14% since 2010, meaning councils have had to make savings of 26%.
This has been done through a combination of reducing the numbers getting support - down by nearly a fifth in the past two years - as well as reducing the amount spent on each individual.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28116570