Care bosses have accused ministers of a “shambolic” attempt to supply front line workers with personal protective equipment as they battle the coronavirus outbreak.
The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) wrote to a senior official at the Department of Health and Social Care saying mixed messages from the Government created "confusion and additional workload".
Early deliveries of equipment have been "paltry" and more recent consignments have been "haphazard", according to the letter, leaked to the BBC.
Written before the Health Secretary's recent announcements on social care, it adds: "We are very concerned that there is a significant imbalance between listening, hearing, and understanding NHS England as opposed to social care.”
An Adass spokesman said: "We know everybody is working tirelessly to try to make this as effective as they can be in the face of something that we have never faced before.
"It's really important that the dynamics between local and national government are right."
Shadow Care Minister Liz Kendall said: “The concerns raised in this letter are extremely worrying.
"Their view that the supply chain for PPE has been shambolic and that testing for care workers hasn't been properly thought through must be an urgent wake up call for ministers.
"Coronavirus has exposed the already fragile state of these vital services.
"Ministers must heed the warnings from Adass and take all necessary to halt the emerging crisis in social care."
Barchester Healthcare care homes chief executive Peter Calveley said the intervention "represented the frustrations of all organisations" as "everyone is facing difficulties of supply, everyone is facing the difficulty of implementing the national guidance in a consistent way”.
He added: "It is true that supply has been sporadic and patchy".
It came as the Health Secretary admitted more than one in seven care homes in the country now has a coronavirus outbreak.
Tory Matt Hancock claimed the 15% figure was comparatively low and means on the bright side, 85% of homes don't have an outbreak.
But care home bosses warned the real total could be much higher - with one firm putting it at 50%.
It comes just weeks after Public Health England claimed it was "very unlikely" care home residents would be hit.
The PHE guidance dated February 25, which is now withdrawn, said care home staff did not need to wear face masks.
Testing of care home staff only began this week - and until a few days ago, government policy was to test up to five residents to confirm an outbreak.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "The Government has set out a comprehensive action plan to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the coronavirus outbreak, including ramping up testing, overhauling the way PPE is being delivered to care homes, and helping to minimise the spread of the virus to keep people safe.
"We will continue to work closely with the social care sector to ensure they have everything they need to respond to this outbreak and receive the recognition they deserve."
