About one care home bed in ten is empty and ready for a resident

Commissioning and markets · Care home places

Care home beds in England, by whether occupied · Week ending 14 August 2026

Note: From the Capacity Tracker, which care homes update each month. CQC counts occupancy another way, so its figures differ; they are not combined here.

Source: DHSC, Adult social care provider statistics, England: quarterly update to August 2026 (opens in a new tab) Published 28 September 2026

Show the dataHide the data
GroupBedsCare home beds in England, by whether occupied (%)
Occupied86.8%
Empty and able to take a resident10.2%
Empty and not able to take a resident3.0%

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Regulation and quality · Ratings

Care homes in the North East are the most likely to be rated good or outstanding

Share of rated care homes rated good or outstanding, by region · October 2026

Note: CQC's current overall rating, which for some homes is several years old.

Source: CQC register of care services, Baton calculation (opens in a new tab) Published 21 October 2026

Commissioning and markets · Care home places

Councils run just 2% of England's care home beds

Share of care home beds in England, by who runs the home · October 2026

Note: Councils include the companies they own, as far as we have identified them (known data issue DI-003). A home registered twice is counted once.

Source: CQC register of care services, Baton calculation (opens in a new tab) Published 21 October 2026

Fees and funding · Home care fees

London councils pay the least for an hour of home care

Average hourly rate councils paid external providers for home care, by region · 2024 to 2025

Note: Home care bought from external providers. London councils pay the most for a care home place but the least for an hour of home care.

Source: DHSC, Adult social care finance report, England: 2024 to 2025 (opens in a new tab) Published 21 October 2026