Care providers forced to the brink by Labour's tax-raid Budget will protest at Parliament tomorrow.

The uprising - the first in history by those running care homes and employed in social care - comes amid widespread panic that Chancellor Rachel Reeves' financial bombshell will see the closure of facilities looking after the helpless and vulnerable.

An army of providers and social care workers is set to march on Westminster in the hope of forcing an eleventh-hour U-turn on devastating National Insurance and wage hikes announced in October and which will bite from April 6.

Then employers will pay 15 per cent in NI contributions on salaries above £5,000, compared to 13.8 per cent on salaries above £9,100 now.

In addition, the National Living Wage will increase to £12.21 an hour, while the National Minimum Wage, for those aged 18-20, will rise to £10 an hour.

Taken together the raid will push hundreds of small and medium-sized providers, who provide capacity for the lion's share of those in receipt of adult social care, to a cliff edge.

In turn that could send an already stretched system into meltdown, with a loss of capacity coming at a time demand rises and the number of people going without care spikes, piling unsustainable pressure on family carers and an overrun NHS.

Among those at the demo will be Mike Padgham, Executive Chairman of family-owned Saint Cecilia's Care Group in Yorkshire, which is facing a hammer blow to its bottom line. The group employs 170 full-time and 60 part-time staff looking after more than 170 people in five homes and one day care centre in Yorkshire.

He said: "April's rises will mean an extra £14,000 a month, or £168,000 a year on National Insurance Contributions, and the National Living Wage a further £22,000 a month or £264,000-a-year, meaning a total extra wage bill of £432,000 a year."

Mr Padgham, also the Chair of the Independent Care Group which speaks for providers, added: "We have suffered for more than 30 years and this day of action offers us the opportunity to say enough is enough [because] people who rely on social care and those who deliver it deserve much, much better. We need to send a very clear signal that things need to change."

The protest has been organised by Providers Unite, a grassroots coalition uniting community care and support providers across the UK.

It has warned of the "systemic collapse of care services" across Britain because of an unmanageable financial burden.

Campaigners argue the underfunded sector is a Cinderella service compared to the NHS and needs £8.4bn to meet future demand and improve access to care, but Labour's Budget announcements have substantially added to costs.

The rally aims to proactively counter popular misconceptions, chiefly that social care is awash with cash and able to absorb increased costs.

Despite the crisis, those taking part in the demo, unprecedented in social care but following similar action from farmers, nurses and doctors, have been reminded to avoid raising undue alarm.

In a letter sent to Ms Reeves the coalition said: "We write as a united voice, urging you to consider the profound impact of the proposed tax increases on all those who depend on us. Like GPs, pharmacies and hospices, we are independent businesses and charities embedded in every corner of our communities, committed to supporting citizens with diverse needs. With the state funding more than 70% of our work, we deliver an essential public service.

"The current Budget measures risks eroding the foundations of the public services we deliver, which extend far beyond elderly care. They include mental health, domiciliary care, learning disabilities, supported living, and other specialised services. To remain viable, these services require appropriate levels of state funding to meet the varied and growing needs of our communities.

"While we acknowledge the Government's responsibility to address the £59bn public deficit, the new Budget measures threaten to deepen an already critical £8.4bn funding shortfall in our sector."

Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England, the charity representing independent providers, said: "The Government must take action before it's too late.

"The message is crystal clear: We are watching the fabric of our care system unravel in front of our eyes. If the Government fails to act now, services will close, people will go without care, families will be left to shoulder unbearable burdens - and the NHS, already on its knees, will collapse under the weight of unmet social care needs. Every day of inaction pushes providers to implement their exit strategies and scale back services to a point from which there may be no return."

Analysis by the Nuffield Trust estimates social care providers face a collective £2.8bn hit due to NI and wage increases.

The Treasury was contacted for comment.