Social care leaders have warned the government against using the efficiency review to press for unrealistic savings from adult services through discredited methods.

With the first phase of the Department of Health's programme examining the scope for adult care efficiencies drawing to a close, the Association of Directors of Social Services said councils should not be asked the impossible.

The DoH wants to cut £684m from adult care - equivalent to 2.5 per cent of the sector's national budget. But former ADSS president Andrew Cozens, whose council has been visited by a DoH efficiency team, said this was not realistic.

Following last year's Gershon efficiency review, councils must find savings of 2.5 per cent, but are not bound to share this equally across all services. But there are fears that the DoH will urge councils to regionalise care procurement, which the ADSS has opposed.

ADSS president Tony Hunter said: "Regional procurement, which in practice could mean large block contracts, flies in the face of DoH objectives around a thriving, broadly based care market offering choice and, in particular, direct payments.

"We are determined that whatever ideas are put forward must be deliverable and realistic and not simply chasing a pre-defined figure."

The comments came as the DoH cut the number of visits to councils in the first phase of the review from 58 to 31 claiming it had already gathered the information it needed.