Now a joint letter signed by leaders of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Staffordshire councils has been sent to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt pleading with him to help avert disaster.

The council bosses say ‘unachievable targets’ have been set for local authorities to try and reduce the delays in people leaving hospital – known as bed-blocking. They argue the majority of people waiting to leave hospital are actually held up due to other NHS services as oppose to council-run social care services.

But each council is set to lose millions of pounds each in its Better Care Fund for failing to hit the targets. The letter says: “NHS England’s position is that those local authorities who cannot meet the target will not have their BCF approved and will therefore not receive the cash transfer from the NHS to protect adult social care.

“This is funding of around £150 million in the West Midlands that has been transferred to local authorities for the last few years and on which we depend to fund a range of essential services including reablement, home care and residential and nursing care, all of which directly support the NHS.

“Without this funding these services cannot be sustained. With winter approaching this will have a catastrophic impact on local people, and will hugely increase pressure on the NHS, leading to a serious crisis. Every pound that is withheld risks harm to our most vulnerable citizens, and will mean that the delayed discharges target will never be achieved.”

Philip Atkins, leader of Staffordshire County Council, added: “Everyone recognises the importance of ensuring that people leave hospital as soon as it is safe for them to do so. The sudden introduction of targets, which are impossible to meet, and consequent withholding of social care funding will mean we are unable to provide care for very vulnerable people and will make hospital discharge delays much worse.

“We are asking the Secretary of State’s making it is of his mending and we are asking him to act now to avert a crisis in care in the coming months.”