Four In Ten Care Homes Carry A CQC Rating More Than Five Years Old, Analysis Finds
Around 40% of older people’s care homes in England are displaying a Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating that was published more than five years ago, according to new analysis by the care fee comparison website What Care Costs.
The research examined every care home for older people on the CQC register, using the regulator’s Care directory with ratings dataset dated 4 August 2026. Of the 10,980 homes analysed, 4,438 had a rating more than five years old. Those homes account for 153,401 of the 423,945 beds covered.
The median rating across England was 4.1 years old, meaning the typical home was last judged by the regulator more than four years ago.
Most ratings more than three years old
The analysis found 6,845 homes, or 62%, were relying on a rating more than three years old. Some 2,399 homes, or 22%, had a rating more than seven years old. A further 550 homes, representing 22,183 beds, had no published rating at all.
The researchers highlighted 391 homes rated “Requires improvement” or “Inadequate” that have not been re-rated in more than five years, accounting for 14,445 beds. What Care Costs noted that an old poor rating does not mean a home is still failing, only that no new finding has been published, leaving families unable to tell the difference.
Wealthier regions among the worst affected
The regional picture ran counter to what might be expected. The East of England had the largest share of homes with a rating over five years old, at 46.8%, with a median rating age of five years. It was followed by the South East (44.3%) and the West Midlands (43.6%).
London had the freshest records, with 30% of homes over the five-year mark and a median rating age of 3.5 years. The East Midlands (33.4%) and the North East (35.7%) also fared comparatively well.
| Region | Homes | Rating over 5 years old | Median rating age |
| East of England | 1,200 | 46.8% | 5.0 years |
| South East | 2,040 | 44.3% | 4.5 years |
| West Midlands | 1,213 | 43.6% | 4.6 years |
| North West | 1,481 | 41.1% | 4.1 years |
| South West | 1,398 | 39.2% | 4.0 years |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 1,111 | 39.0% | 3.9 years |
| North East | 560 | 35.7% | 3.6 years |
| East Midlands | 1,098 | 33.4% | 3.6 years |
| London | 821 | 30.0% | 3.5 years |
Council areas with the oldest records
Among council areas with at least 60 care homes, Stoke-on-Trent had the highest proportion of ratings over five years old, at 61.9% (39 of 63 homes), with a median rating age of 6.6 years. Cambridgeshire followed at 61.7%, then Oxfordshire at 57.3%, Dudley at 56.1% and Buckinghamshire at 55.4%.
Shropshire (54.5%), Cheshire East (53.8%), Devon (52.1%), Norfolk (52.0%), Birmingham (52.0%), North Yorkshire (51.9%) and Gloucestershire (48.6%) completed the list of twelve areas with the oldest records. Figures for all 187 councils are available in a downloadable dataset.
Regulator’s changing approach
What Care Costs acknowledged that the CQC has changed its assessment approach and has been operating a reduced inspection programme. It stressed that an old rating is not evidence of poor care. It also noted that homes providing several services are sometimes rated service by service rather than as a whole, and that newly registered homes have not yet been inspected.
The analysis measured the time since the CQC published a rating, rather than the date of an inspector’s visit, as the published date is the one displayed to the public. Dormant locations were excluded, and 447 duplicate registrations, typically arising after a change of ownership, were removed.
