New Report Reveals Regional Disparities In Demand For Care

A new report released today by care website carehome.co.uk, entitled Ageing Britain: How Demand for Care Homes is Changing, sheds light on evolving trends in the demand for older people’s care across the UK.

The new data reveals that overall demand for care homes across the country has grown by 1.8% this year, albeit with significant regional differences.

The West Midlands has seen the highest rise in demand (7%), while London and the East of England have experienced a small decline. This reflects the West Midlands’ rapidly ageing population and rising health needs across the region.

By contrast, the East of England has seen a negative (-1%) change in demand, followed by London (-0.2%) and the South West (0.6%), where growth has stalled. In these areas, high care home fees, rising operating costs for providers of care, and fewer new care home developments have restricted the choices available to people and families seeking care.

The data also shows the majority of care enquiries (52%) are from people seeking care within a month, while 16% urgently need care within a week. This shows that many families are still pushed into last-minute decisions, often triggered by a health emergency, leaving them to make difficult decisions under intense pressure.

However, the data also shows an encouraging pattern, with searches made more than six months ahead of need growing by 7% from 2024 to 2025.

But while some families are researching earlier, the practical realities of planning for care remain little understood, with a fifth of people (21%) not knowing whether they will need to self-fund or if they can rely on state support.

At the same time, enquiries for state-funded care are rising faster than for self-funded places, signalling increasing financial pressure on families and a growing desire for publicly funded packages – despite the proportion of older people receiving local authority-funded long-term care declining dramatically over the past two decades.

The report also reveals who is driving demand, with 60% of the enquiries being from people looking for care for their parent, and women accounting for nearly two-thirds (65%) of these searches.

The new findings are being released ahead of the Christmas period, after which carehome.co.uk always sees a huge rise in people searching for a care home.

Over the last three years, carehome.co.uk has seen a dramatic increase in traffic in January (29% on average), compared with figures in December. In January 2025, the number of visitors to their site surged by 24% with over 288,000 extra visitors to its website compared with the month before.

Will Blackwell, CEO of Tomorrow’s Guides which operates carehome.co.uk, said:
“Our new report reveals changing patterns in the demand for older people’s care across our country, at a time when more people than ever have caring responsibilities. Choosing care remains a difficult and often lonely process for carers who are having to make some of life’s biggest decisions in moments of crisis, after a sudden deterioration or health emergency leaves little time to weigh up options or plan ahead.

“Our search data also highlights the pressures faced by unpaid carers, particularly women, who are often balancing work, family life and caring responsibilities while trying to navigate a system that can feel confusing and overwhelming.

“It is crucial that people feel supported to explore their choices sooner, understand the financial implications, and have access to reliable information they can trust. We hope that by shining a light on these trends, we can encourage a more proactive, informed and equitable approach to care choices across the UK.”

Shona King-Abraha, Director of Business Development at Greensleeves Care, said:
“We understand the immense pressure families feel when forced to make care decisions in moments of crisis, and know from our own research that many wish they’d had clearer guidance and emotional support much earlier.

“We welcome this report by carehome.co.uk and its core insights, which echo what we see every day: families want more confidence, more clarity and more time to prepare. By recognising these mindsets and encouraging earlier conversations about care, we can help reduce stress, build understanding and ensure people feel more confident when making important decisions for themselves and their loved ones.”