Standards in more than one in 10 of Norfolk's care firms are so poor that watchdogs have imposed sanctions banning them from looking after new people.
The new figures detailing restrictions on care homes, nursing homes and home care providers came as councillors raised concerns over "scary demographics" they warn will heap further pressure on adult social care over the next decade.
Statistics compiled by Norfolk County Council showed that, of 456 care providers in the county, 10 have been rated 'inadequate' by watchdog the Care Quality Commission, with 129 rated as 'requiring improvement'.
The data indicates that standards of care in Norfolk are far below those seen in most other parts of the country.
While 291 firms are rated as good and 26 are outstanding, standards are so poor at 62 firms that watchdogs have imposed restrictions banning or limiting how many new referrals they can accept.
Members of County Hall's scrutiny committee heard how there are currently 46 residential homes, eight nursing homes and eight home care services subject to restrictions.
Among them is The Mount care home in Aylsham, where the council recently withdrew residents after safety concerns were raised.
Councillors discussed the standards in the county's nursing and care homes and in companies which provide home care at Thursday's meeting.
The authority does not have overall oversight over the care market, but commissions providers to look after vulnerable people who qualify for adult social care and is able to influence the market.
Councillors heard how the percentage of care homes rated as good or outstanding is at less than 70pc - some way below the council's target of 85pc, which is close to the national average.
Christine Futter, chief operating officer for Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support, told the committee: "In the last few years there has been a dip in quality. During Covid, there was a real issue in terms of staffing capacity.
"As we have come out of Covid, trying to recruit into the sector has been incredibly difficult. However, there are some signs of improvement."
One of the biggest challenges is in North Norfolk, which has the highest proportion of over 65-year-olds, at 34pc.
But because of a lack of affordable housing and transport links, it has been a particular struggle to recruit care workers to serve that area.
Bill Borrett, the Conservative-controlled council's cabinet member for adult social care, said 50pc of the council's budget is now being spent on social services for adults and children.
And he said, with people living longer, pressures over the next 10 to 15 years would increase, which could create a situation where 100pc of the council's money would need to be spent on the services.
He said: "The demographics are fairly scary going forward. As a society, I do believe we are all going to have to plan, not only to support our own needs as we get older, but those of our families and dependents.
"People are living longer, but working life is not increasing, so they are spending less of their lifetime putting money into the system and spending longer taking money out."
The committee heard how Norfolk currently has a population of just over 910,000 people, with the figure predicted to top a million by 2036.
A quarter of people in Norfolk are 65 or over, compared to the 19pc national average, while the number over 85 is expected to double to 60,000 by 2040.
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Council officers assured committee members that planning was in place for the projected population changes.
Gary Heathcote, director of commissioning for adult social services, at the council, said the predicted numbers were "scary".
But he said there was likely to be less need for residential care homes, with a greater emphasis on people getting care in their own homes or in housing-with-care schemes.
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