Quarterly index · Q4 2026 (October to December)
England Care Fees and Quality Index
The only index that puts the price of care next to its quality, for every region and council in England. It combines CQC ratings for 29,131 care homes and home care agencies with a modelled typical fee for each one, and is updated every quarter.
Published 20 October 2026 · CQC data as of 19 October 2026 · Download the data (CSV) · Method · How to cite
Key findings
- Across England, 82.6% of care homes rated by CQC are Good or Outstanding; the typical modelled fee is £1,520 a week.
- Best value for care homes: Gateshead, where 97.9% are rated Good or Outstanding at a typical £1,230 a week (value score 146; England = 100).
- Lowest value for care homes: Slough, at 57.1% Good or Outstanding and a typical £1,590 a week (value score 66).
- 49.2% of rated care homes were last rated more than four years ago; the median rating is 47 months old.
- Across England, 88.2% of home care agencies rated by CQC are Good or Outstanding; the typical modelled fee is £33.50 an hour.
- Best value for home care agencies: Bristol, City of, where 100% are rated Good or Outstanding at a typical £33.50 an hour (value score 113; England = 100).
- Lowest value for home care agencies: Lewisham, at 62.2% Good or Outstanding and a typical £37.50 an hour (value score 63).
- 54.1% of rated home care agencies were last rated more than four years ago; the median rating is 51 months old.
Care homes: fees and quality by region
| Region | Services | Good or Outstanding | Outstanding | Rated 4+ years ago | Avg CQC score | Typical weekly fee | Residential | Nursing | Value score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 730 | 91.9% | 6% | 41.4% | 72% | £1,230 | £1,230 | £1,370 | 137 |
| North West | 1,872 | 79.5% | 3.6% | 50.3% | 71% | £1,260 | £1,260 | £1,580 | 116 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 1,472 | 80.6% | 5% | 46.2% | 73% | £1,270 | £1,270 | £1,560 | 117 |
| East Midlands | 1,444 | 79.5% | 6.4% | 44% | 73% | £1,290 | £1,250 | £1,540 | 113 |
| West Midlands | 1,691 | 77.8% | 3% | 54.9% | 71% | £1,340 | £1,300 | £1,540 | 107 |
| East of England | 1,632 | 79.2% | 5.3% | 55.2% | 69% | £1,500 | £1,500 | £1,690 | 97 |
| London | 1,274 | 89.5% | 2.7% | 41.7% | 73% | £1,670 | £1,620 | £1,870 | 99 |
| South East | 2,829 | 82% | 4.6% | 52.7% | 72% | £1,620 | £1,560 | £1,850 | 93 |
| South West | 1,852 | 88.9% | 5.4% | 47.2% | 72% | £1,530 | £1,450 | £1,690 | 107 |
| England | 14,796 | 82.6% | 4.6% | 49.2% | 72% | £1,520 | £1,450 | £1,690 | 100 |
Care homes: best and lowest value councils
Best value
| Council | Good or Outstanding | Typical weekly fee | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateshead | 97.9% | £1,230 | 146 |
| Middlesbrough | 95.3% | £1,230 | 143 |
| South Tyneside | 93.5% | £1,230 | 140 |
| County Durham | 92.8% | £1,230 | 139 |
| Hartlepool | 92.6% | £1,230 | 139 |
| Sunderland | 93.1% | £1,230 | 139 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 91.8% | £1,230 | 137 |
| North Tyneside | 90.2% | £1,230 | 135 |
| Northumberland | 90.3% | £1,230 | 135 |
| St. Helens | 89.2% | £1,260 | 130 |
Lowest value
| Council | Good or Outstanding | Typical weekly fee | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slough | 57.1% | £1,590 | 66 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 71.8% | £1,830 | 72 |
| Medway | 70% | £1,620 | 80 |
| Norfolk | 66% | £1,500 | 81 |
| Portsmouth | 73.3% | £1,620 | 83 |
| Isle of Wight | 72.9% | £1,620 | 83 |
| Bracknell Forest | 73.3% | £1,620 | 83 |
| Buckinghamshire | 74.2% | £1,620 | 84 |
| Bexley | 75.9% | £1,670 | 84 |
| Southwark | 76.9% | £1,670 | 85 |
Value score = share rated Good or Outstanding relative to England, divided by typical fee relative to England (England = 100). Councils with at least 8 rated care homes.
Home care: fees and quality by region
| Region | Services | Good or Outstanding | Outstanding | Rated 4+ years ago | Avg CQC score | Typical hourly rate | Value score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | 422 | 95.2% | 7.6% | 42.9% | 73% | £33.50 | 108 |
| North West | 1,587 | 91.3% | 5.2% | 60.3% | 74% | £33.50 | 104 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 1,239 | 89.5% | 3.8% | 48.6% | 74% | £33.50 | 101 |
| East Midlands | 1,421 | 85.2% | 5.7% | 54.4% | 73% | £33.50 | 97 |
| West Midlands | 1,596 | 82.2% | 3.7% | 64.1% | 72% | £33.50 | 93 |
| East of England | 1,812 | 86.3% | 5.8% | 61.5% | 71% | £33.50 | 98 |
| London | 2,431 | 88.9% | 2.3% | 44.1% | 74% | £37.50 | 90 |
| South East | 2,499 | 87.3% | 5.7% | 57% | 73% | £33.50 | 99 |
| South West | 1,326 | 91.9% | 6.8% | 49.4% | 72% | £33.50 | 104 |
| England | 14,335 | 88.2% | 4.9% | 54.1% | 73% | £33.50 | 100 |
Home care: best and lowest value councils
Best value
| Council | Good or Outstanding | Typical hourly rate | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol, City of | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| Hartlepool | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| Herefordshire, County of | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| Sunderland | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| West Berkshire | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 98.9% | £33.50 | 112 |
| Dorset | 98.5% | £33.50 | 112 |
| Peterborough | 94.3% | £32.00 | 112 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 97.5% | £33.50 | 111 |
| Gateshead | 97.1% | £33.50 | 110 |
Lowest value
| Council | Good or Outstanding | Typical hourly rate | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewisham | 62.2% | £37.50 | 63 |
| Bexley | 60.6% | £36.00 | 64 |
| Luton | 57.9% | £33.50 | 66 |
| Southwark | 64% | £36.00 | 68 |
| Greenwich | 64.7% | £36.00 | 68 |
| West Northamptonshire | 67.7% | £33.50 | 77 |
| Medway | 64.6% | £32.00 | 77 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 70% | £33.50 | 79 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 72.2% | £33.50 | 82 |
| Waltham Forest | 84.2% | £37.50 | 85 |
Value score = share rated Good or Outstanding relative to England, divided by typical fee relative to England (England = 100). Councils with at least 8 rated agencies.
Every council
| Council | Care homes | Good+ (homes) | Weekly fee | Value | Agencies | Good+ (agencies) | Hourly rate | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | 22 | 95.2% | £1,640 | 107 | 159 | 87.8% | £37.50 | 89 |
| Barnet | 80 | 86.8% | £1,670 | 96 | 95 | 95.5% | £37.50 | 97 |
| Barnsley | 70 | 81.8% | £1,270 | 119 | 56 | 96.1% | £33.50 | 109 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 55 | 84.3% | £1,530 | 101 | 29 | 70% | £33.50 | 79 |
| Bedford | 73 | 77.1% | £1,500 | 95 | 79 | 83.3% | £33.50 | 94 |
| Bexley | 31 | 75.9% | £1,670 | 84 | 68 | 60.6% | £36.00 | 64 |
| Birmingham | 283 | 76.6% | £1,300 | 108 | 316 | 76.6% | £33.50 | 87 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 34 | 80.6% | £1,260 | 118 | 37 | 90.5% | £33.50 | 103 |
| Blackpool | 68 | 77.8% | £1,260 | 114 | 28 | 94.4% | £33.50 | 107 |
| Bolton | 57 | 83.6% | £1,260 | 122 | 63 | 95.5% | £33.50 | 108 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 134 | 96.1% | £1,530 | 116 | 126 | 98.9% | £33.50 | 112 |
| Bracknell Forest | 19 | 73.3% | £1,620 | 83 | 29 | 77.8% | £33.50 | 88 |
| Bradford | 109 | 76% | £1,270 | 110 | 111 | 88.3% | £33.50 | 100 |
| Brent | 47 | 86.7% | £1,620 | 98 | 95 | 85.5% | £37.50 | 87 |
| Brighton and Hove | 86 | 91.7% | £1,560 | 108 | 52 | 86.5% | £33.50 | 98 |
| Bristol, City of | 92 | 97.7% | £1,530 | 118 | 93 | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| Bromley | 52 | 93.3% | £1,670 | 103 | 87 | 87.7% | £37.50 | 89 |
| Buckinghamshire | 135 | 74.2% | £1,620 | 84 | 133 | 81.2% | £33.50 | 92 |
| Bury | 52 | 86% | £1,260 | 126 | 54 | 94.6% | £33.50 | 107 |
| Calderdale | 46 | 78.6% | £1,270 | 114 | 49 | 90% | £33.50 | 102 |
| Cambridgeshire | 139 | 92.8% | £1,500 | 114 | 139 | 90% | £33.50 | 102 |
| Camden | 11 | 90.9% | £1,670 | 100 | 47 | 90.6% | £37.50 | 92 |
| Central Bedfordshire | 62 | 75% | £1,500 | 92 | 58 | 87.9% | £33.50 | 100 |
| Cheshire East | 106 | 77.3% | £1,510 | 94 | 95 | 87.7% | £33.50 | 99 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 85 | 74.3% | £1,520 | 90 | 74 | 94.6% | £33.50 | 107 |
| Cornwall | 199 | 81.4% | £1,530 | 98 | 120 | 90.7% | £33.50 | 103 |
| County Durham | 143 | 92.8% | £1,230 | 139 | 67 | 93.8% | £33.50 | 106 |
| Coventry | 72 | 66.7% | £1,340 | 92 | 143 | 81.2% | £32.00 | 96 |
| Croydon | 128 | 90.1% | £1,620 | 102 | 155 | 83.8% | £37.50 | 85 |
| Cumberland | 78 | 79.5% | £1,260 | 116 | 62 | 88.2% | £33.50 | 100 |
| Darlington | 32 | 86.2% | £1,230 | 129 | 19 | 94.4% | £33.50 | 107 |
| Derby | 71 | 75.8% | £1,290 | 108 | 118 | 90% | £33.50 | 102 |
| Derbyshire | 240 | 81% | £1,290 | 116 | 145 | 96.3% | £33.50 | 109 |
| Devon | 309 | 90% | £1,530 | 108 | 153 | 91.7% | £33.50 | 104 |
| Doncaster | 80 | 81.3% | £1,270 | 118 | 72 | 96.3% | £33.50 | 109 |
| Dorset | 119 | 94.4% | £1,530 | 114 | 87 | 98.5% | £33.50 | 112 |
| Dudley | 92 | 70.2% | £1,340 | 96 | 64 | 80.6% | £33.50 | 91 |
| Ealing | 35 | 85.7% | £1,670 | 94 | 110 | 90.4% | £37.50 | 92 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 150 | 77.6% | £1,270 | 112 | 60 | 86.4% | £33.50 | 98 |
| East Sussex | 295 | 84.4% | £1,620 | 96 | 104 | 92.5% | £33.50 | 105 |
| Enfield | 82 | 82.7% | £1,620 | 94 | 116 | 88.9% | £37.50 | 90 |
| Essex | 404 | 83.7% | £1,500 | 103 | 474 | 90.3% | £33.50 | 102 |
| Gateshead | 49 | 97.9% | £1,230 | 146 | 43 | 97.1% | £33.50 | 110 |
| Gloucestershire | 199 | 85.8% | £1,530 | 103 | 182 | 88% | £33.50 | 100 |
| Greenwich | 42 | 82.5% | £1,620 | 94 | 107 | 64.7% | £36.00 | 68 |
| Hackney | 12 | 83.3% | £1,620 | 95 | 39 | 88.9% | £37.50 | 90 |
| Halton | 25 | 75% | £1,260 | 110 | 15 | 81.8% | £33.50 | 93 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 10 | 87.5% | £1,870 | 86 | 39 | 100% | £37.50 | 101 |
| Hampshire | 483 | 84.9% | £1,620 | 96 | 358 | 90.7% | £33.50 | 103 |
| Haringey | 24 | 87.5% | £1,620 | 99 | 66 | 87.5% | £37.50 | 89 |
| Harrow | 52 | 93.9% | £1,670 | 103 | 93 | 93.4% | £37.50 | 95 |
| Hartlepool | 27 | 92.6% | £1,230 | 139 | 11 | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| Havering | 60 | 92.3% | £1,670 | 102 | 120 | 93.2% | £37.50 | 94 |
| Herefordshire, County of | 86 | 84.1% | £1,340 | 115 | 49 | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| Hertfordshire | 256 | 76.5% | £1,500 | 94 | 326 | 85.9% | £33.50 | 97 |
| Hillingdon | 48 | 90.7% | £1,670 | 100 | 83 | 100% | £37.50 | 101 |
| Hounslow | 32 | 89.7% | £1,620 | 102 | 74 | 94.1% | £37.50 | 95 |
| Isle of Wight | 61 | 72.9% | £1,620 | 83 | 40 | 90.9% | £33.50 | 103 |
| Isles of Scilly | 2 | 0% | £1,490 | – | 2 | 0% | £33.00 | – |
| Islington | 18 | 100% | £1,810 | 102 | 47 | 93.3% | £37.50 | 94 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 11 | 90% | £1,770 | 94 | 15 | 92.3% | £37.50 | 93 |
| Kent | 502 | 79.1% | £1,620 | 90 | 410 | 82% | £33.50 | 93 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 78 | 72.9% | £1,270 | 106 | 55 | 91.7% | £33.50 | 104 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 44 | 89.5% | £1,810 | 91 | 48 | 97.6% | £37.50 | 99 |
| Kirklees | 127 | 78.9% | £1,270 | 114 | 81 | 80.3% | £33.50 | 91 |
| Knowsley | 27 | 78.3% | £1,260 | 114 | 22 | 78.6% | £33.50 | 89 |
| Lambeth | 35 | 75.8% | £1,620 | 86 | 60 | 97.2% | £37.50 | 98 |
| Lancashire | 423 | 82.5% | £1,260 | 120 | 289 | 96.7% | £33.50 | 110 |
| Leeds | 160 | 78.2% | £1,270 | 113 | 241 | 83.1% | £33.50 | 94 |
| Leicester | 103 | 80.6% | £1,290 | 115 | 184 | 80.4% | £33.50 | 91 |
| Leicestershire | 164 | 81.5% | £1,290 | 116 | 172 | 83.9% | £33.50 | 95 |
| Lewisham | 49 | 95.7% | £1,620 | 109 | 85 | 62.2% | £37.50 | 63 |
| Lincolnshire | 284 | 76.7% | £1,290 | 109 | 126 | 86.7% | £33.50 | 98 |
| Liverpool | 88 | 67.5% | £1,260 | 99 | 107 | 93.4% | £33.50 | 106 |
| Luton | 35 | 72.7% | £1,500 | 89 | 69 | 57.9% | £33.50 | 66 |
| Manchester | 83 | 82.9% | £1,260 | 121 | 123 | 88.7% | £32.00 | 105 |
| Medway | 66 | 70% | £1,620 | 80 | 108 | 64.6% | £32.00 | 77 |
| Merton | 35 | 100% | £1,670 | 110 | 60 | 100% | £37.50 | 101 |
| Middlesbrough | 48 | 95.3% | £1,230 | 143 | 22 | 93.3% | £33.50 | 106 |
| Milton Keynes | 49 | 84.1% | £1,620 | 96 | 176 | 91.4% | £32.00 | 108 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 74 | 90.6% | £1,310 | 127 | 49 | 97.5% | £33.50 | 111 |
| Newham | 23 | 90.5% | £1,620 | 103 | 90 | 90.4% | £37.50 | 92 |
| Norfolk | 319 | 66% | £1,500 | 81 | 174 | 76.5% | £33.50 | 87 |
| North East Lincolnshire | 55 | 86% | £1,270 | 125 | 25 | 95% | £33.50 | 108 |
| North Lincolnshire | 59 | 80.4% | £1,270 | 116 | 19 | 86.7% | £33.50 | 98 |
| North Northamptonshire | 109 | 81.7% | £1,290 | 117 | 146 | 84.2% | £33.50 | 95 |
| North Somerset | 94 | 96.6% | £1,530 | 116 | 42 | 96.3% | £33.50 | 109 |
| North Tyneside | 43 | 90.2% | £1,230 | 135 | 43 | 83.9% | £33.50 | 95 |
| North Yorkshire | 202 | 85.6% | £1,270 | 124 | 152 | 91.5% | £33.50 | 104 |
| Northumberland | 94 | 90.3% | £1,230 | 135 | 43 | 97.4% | £33.50 | 110 |
| Nottingham | 77 | 76.4% | £1,290 | 109 | 144 | 86.2% | £32.00 | 102 |
| Nottinghamshire | 280 | 84.4% | £1,290 | 120 | 203 | 90.4% | £33.50 | 102 |
| Oldham | 45 | 85.4% | £1,260 | 125 | 66 | 91.9% | £33.50 | 104 |
| Oxfordshire | 149 | 87.4% | £1,850 | 87 | 174 | 88.4% | £33.50 | 100 |
| Peterborough | 37 | 87.9% | £1,500 | 108 | 126 | 94.3% | £32.00 | 112 |
| Plymouth | 87 | 78.8% | £1,530 | 95 | 52 | 87.5% | £33.50 | 99 |
| Portsmouth | 30 | 73.3% | £1,620 | 83 | 59 | 77.4% | £33.50 | 88 |
| Reading | 32 | 75.9% | £1,590 | 88 | 61 | 75% | £33.50 | 85 |
| Redbridge | 77 | 85.9% | £1,620 | 98 | 130 | 92.6% | £37.50 | 94 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 42 | 85% | £1,230 | 127 | 20 | 93.3% | £33.50 | 106 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 42 | 95% | £1,670 | 105 | 25 | 100% | £37.50 | 101 |
| Rochdale | 61 | 64.8% | £1,260 | 95 | 57 | 82.4% | £33.50 | 93 |
| Rotherham | 84 | 88.6% | £1,270 | 128 | 55 | 86.8% | £33.50 | 98 |
| Rutland | 11 | 81.8% | £1,290 | 117 | 14 | 83.3% | £33.50 | 94 |
| Salford | 43 | 80% | £1,260 | 117 | 56 | 93.9% | £33.50 | 106 |
| Sandwell | 94 | 73.4% | £1,300 | 104 | 90 | 75% | £33.50 | 85 |
| Sefton | 111 | 79.4% | £1,260 | 116 | 50 | 89.5% | £33.50 | 101 |
| Sheffield | 114 | 85% | £1,270 | 123 | 138 | 96.2% | £33.50 | 109 |
| Shropshire | 117 | 79.8% | £1,340 | 110 | 87 | 89.1% | £33.50 | 101 |
| Slough | 16 | 57.1% | £1,590 | 66 | 70 | 72% | £32.00 | 85 |
| Solihull | 63 | 88.3% | £1,340 | 121 | 57 | 87.5% | £33.50 | 99 |
| Somerset | 197 | 89.2% | £1,530 | 107 | 125 | 94.4% | £33.50 | 107 |
| South Gloucestershire | 81 | 96.1% | £1,530 | 116 | 82 | 91.1% | £33.50 | 103 |
| South Tyneside | 34 | 93.5% | £1,230 | 140 | 17 | 93.3% | £33.50 | 106 |
| Southampton | 51 | 83.3% | £1,620 | 95 | 102 | 85.7% | £32.00 | 102 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 84 | 92.2% | £1,500 | 113 | 78 | 84.4% | £33.50 | 96 |
| Southwark | 13 | 76.9% | £1,670 | 85 | 56 | 64% | £36.00 | 68 |
| St. Helens | 41 | 89.2% | £1,260 | 130 | 40 | 90.3% | £33.50 | 102 |
| Staffordshire | 271 | 77.8% | £1,340 | 107 | 169 | 79.4% | £33.50 | 90 |
| Stockport | 67 | 72.1% | £1,260 | 105 | 67 | 81.6% | £33.50 | 93 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 57 | 91.8% | £1,230 | 137 | 45 | 96.8% | £33.50 | 110 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 84 | 80.5% | £1,340 | 111 | 81 | 78% | £33.50 | 88 |
| Suffolk | 196 | 80.2% | £1,500 | 98 | 206 | 89% | £33.50 | 101 |
| Sunderland | 87 | 93.1% | £1,230 | 139 | 43 | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| Surrey | 381 | 81.4% | £1,620 | 92 | 296 | 93% | £33.50 | 105 |
| Sutton | 68 | 95.4% | £1,620 | 108 | 54 | 95.5% | £37.50 | 97 |
| Swindon | 47 | 88.9% | £1,530 | 107 | 57 | 83.3% | £33.50 | 94 |
| Tameside | 35 | 71.4% | £1,260 | 104 | 30 | 87.5% | £33.00 | 101 |
| Telford and Wrekin | 37 | 78.8% | £1,340 | 108 | 64 | 86.1% | £33.50 | 98 |
| Thurrock | 26 | 92% | £1,480 | 114 | 82 | 88.9% | £33.50 | 101 |
| Torbay | 74 | 80% | £1,530 | 96 | 28 | 91.3% | £33.50 | 104 |
| Tower Hamlets | 10 | 90% | £1,670 | 99 | 74 | 92.7% | £37.50 | 94 |
| Trafford | 56 | 86.3% | £1,260 | 126 | 64 | 87% | £33.50 | 99 |
| Wakefield | 96 | 73.9% | £1,270 | 107 | 81 | 88.1% | £33.50 | 100 |
| Walsall | 71 | 68.4% | £1,340 | 94 | 88 | 83.3% | £33.50 | 94 |
| Waltham Forest | 46 | 95.3% | £1,620 | 108 | 54 | 84.2% | £37.50 | 85 |
| Wandsworth | 26 | 92.3% | £1,760 | 97 | 40 | 100% | £37.50 | 101 |
| Warrington | 56 | 81.1% | £1,260 | 118 | 46 | 88.5% | £33.50 | 100 |
| Warwickshire | 172 | 80.5% | £1,340 | 111 | 140 | 83.9% | £33.50 | 95 |
| West Berkshire | 44 | 89.7% | £1,560 | 106 | 39 | 100% | £33.50 | 113 |
| West Northamptonshire | 105 | 68.4% | £1,290 | 98 | 169 | 67.7% | £33.50 | 77 |
| West Sussex | 342 | 84.3% | £1,620 | 96 | 208 | 93.9% | £33.50 | 106 |
| Westminster | 9 | 100% | £1,870 | – | 24 | 100% | £36.00 | 106 |
| Westmorland and Furness | 59 | 89.1% | £1,260 | 130 | 48 | 93.1% | £33.50 | 106 |
| Wigan | 59 | 92.5% | £1,510 | 113 | 45 | 93.5% | £33.50 | 106 |
| Wiltshire | 163 | 89.1% | £1,530 | 107 | 147 | 90% | £33.50 | 102 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 43 | 71.8% | £1,830 | 72 | 30 | 72.2% | £33.50 | 82 |
| Wirral | 112 | 70.2% | £1,260 | 103 | 49 | 89.7% | £33.50 | 102 |
| Wokingham | 45 | 93% | £1,620 | 106 | 48 | 90.6% | £33.50 | 103 |
| Wolverhampton | 74 | 66.2% | £1,340 | 91 | 135 | 75.8% | £32.00 | 90 |
| Worcestershire | 174 | 86.1% | £1,340 | 118 | 113 | 90.9% | £33.50 | 103 |
| York | 42 | 85.7% | £1,270 | 124 | 44 | 90.9% | £33.50 | 103 |
| City of London | – | – | – | – | 16 | 75% | £36.00 | – |
| Flintshire | – | – | – | – | 2 | 100% | £35.00 | – |
| Unspecified | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0% | £33.50 | – |
Method
Quality comes from the Care Quality Commission register and ratings (Open Government Licence), for every active care home and home care agency in England: the latest overall rating, when it was published, and, for services assessed under CQC's newer framework, the average of their percentage scores across the five areas CQC inspects.
Fees are modelled for each service by The Care Panel. Care homes start from published regional self-funder averages for the type of care (residential, nursing, with or without dementia), scaled to the latest national median, and are adjusted for operators whose published prices sit clearly above or below their area. Home care starts from the national median hourly rate (higher in London, where wages are higher), adjusted for operator and CQC rating; published data does not yet support a reliable regional split outside London, so differences between councils for home care mostly reflect quality, not price. Where a provider has given us its own fees, those replace the model. Each council's figure is the median across its services. Modelled fees show the typical level and how areas compare; they are not quotes, and individual homes and agencies vary widely. Benchmarks: carehome.co.uk regional fees (data Sep 2025) (care home pattern by region and care type); Lottie regional fees 2026 (care home pattern by region and care type); Lottie Care Index, care homes, Q2–Q3 2026 (level: England median £1,400 a week residential; the regional pattern is scaled to it); Lottie Care Index, home care, Q3 2026 (visiting care median £33.49 an hour, live-in £1,610 a week, higher for Outstanding); Homecare Association minimum price 2026/27 (London Living Wage version), via Right at Home (London uplift); Operators' published "from" prices on Lottie operator pages and branch price lists (operator factors, October 2026).
Value score = (share rated Good or Outstanding ÷ England's share) ÷ (typical fee ÷ England's typical fee) × 100. Above 100 means more good-quality care per pound than England as a whole.
Editions are published early in each quarter, after CQC's monthly data. Previous editions stay available below so changes can be tracked.
How to cite and reuse
Free to reuse under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0, including by journalists and researchers. Please cite: The Care Panel, England Care Fees and Quality Index, Q4 2026 (October to December), with a link to this page. CQC data © Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Press and data questions: contact@thecarepanel.co.uk.
Questions about the index
- How much does a care home cost in England?
- In Q4 2026 (October to December) the typical modelled self-funder fee across England is £1,520 a week: about £1,450 for residential care and £1,690 for nursing care. Fees vary by region, by the care needed and by the home.
- What share of care homes are rated Good or Outstanding?
- 82.6% of care homes in England with a published CQC rating are rated Good or Outstanding, and 4.6% Outstanding. 49.2% were last rated more than four years ago.
- How much does home care cost per hour in England?
- The typical modelled self-funder rate for visiting home care in England is £33.50 an hour in Q4 2026 (October to December). Rates are higher in London and the South East, and at evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
- Are these fees quotes?
- No. They are modelled typical prices for each service, built from published regional benchmarks and adjusted for the type of care and operator, so areas can be compared. Ask each provider for its own price list. Where a provider has given us its fees, we use them instead.
- Can I reuse this data?
- Yes, under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Please credit The Care Panel, England Care Fees and Quality Index, with the edition, and link to this page. The CSV download has every figure.
Register information from CQC as at Oct 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0 applies. We do not deliver care ourselves.