UK Care Home Statistics 2026
England has 14,811 CQC-registered care homes with a combined 477,278 beds. Of the 13,692 homes with a current rating, 0% are Outstanding and 0.8% are Good.
Source: Care Quality Commission open data · Open Government Licence v3.0
14,811
Total care homes
477,278
Total beds
4,472
Nursing homes
599
Outstanding rated
CQC Rating Distribution
| CQC Rating | Homes | % of rated |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding | 599 | 0% |
| Good | 10,728 | 0.8% |
| Requires Improvement | 2,234 | 0.2% |
| Inadequate | 131 | 0% |
| Not yet rated | 1,113 | — |
Nursing vs Residential Care
4,472
Nursing care homes
0.3% of all registered homes · 237,023 beds
Provide 24-hour nursing care by registered nurses, in addition to personal care.
10,339
Residential care homes
0.7% of all registered homes · 240,255 beds
Provide personal and social care without on-site nursing. Suited to lower-level care needs.
Regional Breakdown
| Region | Homes | Outstanding | Good |
|---|---|---|---|
| South East | 2,807 | 117 (0%) | 2,015 |
| North West | 1,867 | 59 (0%) | 1,324 |
| South West | 1,850 | 96 (0.1%) | 1,463 |
| West Midlands | 1,679 | 38 (0%) | 1,130 |
| East | 1,650 | 77 (0.1%) | 1,099 |
| Yorkshire & Humberside | 1,463 | 62 (0%) | 1,036 |
| East Midlands | 1,457 | 80 (0.1%) | 1,014 |
| London | 1,287 | 30 (0%) | 1,049 |
| North East | 739 | 40 (0.1%) | 596 |
Key Findings
- Only 0% of rated care homes in England achieve Outstanding — the highest possible CQC grade.
- 131 homes (0%) are currently rated Inadequate by the CQC, meaning they have failed to meet fundamental standards.
- England has 477,278 registered care home beds, of which 237,023 (0.5%) are in nursing homes.
- 2,234 homes (0.2%) require improvement — families should always read the full CQC report before visiting a home in this category.
- 1113 homes have not yet received a CQC rating, typically because they are newly registered.
Using this data
All data is sourced from the CQC open data portal and is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. carehome.page updates its database when new CQC bulk data releases become available.
For council-level rankings, see Best and worst councils for care home quality. To explore homes in your area, use our care home directory.