Eight councils have been named and shamed by regulators over the quality of their adult social care.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said a third of councils have more to do in terms of caring for people with dignity and respect and one in four were rated as only adequate in terms of giving people choice and control over their care.
Too many councils were purchasing a significant proportion of residential and nursing home care from providers rated as poor or adequate and, in care homes for older people, one in five providers failed to meet the standard on social contact and activities, the CQC said.
In its first major statement on the quality of adult social care in England, the CQC told the eight councils rated as "adequate" they must make improvements a priority.
They were: Bromley, Cornwall, Peterborough, Poole, Solihull, South Tyneside, Southwark, and Surrey.
All eight will receive greater scrutiny from the CQC and practical support from the Government, the CQC said.
A total of 16 councils - who have not been named to avoid giving them advance warning - were also selected for "in-depth service inspection on the basis of concerns about performance, gaps in its evidence or the length of time since the last service inspection", the CQC said.
Cynthia Bower, CQC chief executive, said she was "deeply concerned about the potential impact of lower spending on social care" during tough economic times.
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