Councils should show their ability to work in partnerships to meet the needs of older people by next year or risk being poorly rated, said the Department of Health.

Jeremy Porteus, of the DoH's change agent team said: "Instead of looking at just one service, such as domiciliary care, social services need to communicate with other departments and agencies. A high percentage are not doing that."

Comprehensive performance assessment rules are being redefined to meet the government's vision for adult social care and councils need to prove they can streamline services and work with key players.