How long since a care home was inspected? 2026 analysis

Almost half of England’s rated care homes, 49.2% (6,648 of 13,499), had a latest CQC rating published four or more years before 1 October 2026, and 72.6% were rated two or more years earlier. For home care the figures are 54.3% and 76.5% of 8,979 rated services. A further 828 care homes (5.8%) and 4,564 home care services (33.7%) have never been rated.

In short

• The typical (median) rated care home’s latest rating was published 3.9 years before 1 October 2026; for home care it was 4.2 years.
• 6,648 of 13,499 rated care homes (49.2%) have a rating 4 or more years old; 3,789 were last rated before 2020.
• 4,872 of 8,979 rated home care services (54.3%) have a rating 4 or more years old.
• 4,564 home care locations (33.7%) have never been rated, and 2,887 of these registered at least two years ago.
• Older ratings are more often good ones: 55.5% of Good or Outstanding care homes were rated 4+ years ago, against 19.4% of homes rated Requires improvement or Inadequate.

How we measured time since inspection

We used the CQC care directory files (with filters, and with ratings) showing the register at 1 October 2026. Our scope is active, non-dormant social care locations in England, with each dual-registered location counted once:

• Care homes: service type “Care home service with nursing” or “without nursing” (14,327 locations).
• Home care: service type “Domiciliary care service” (13,543 locations).
• Time since rating: the gap between the publication date of the latest overall rating (or the “Care Homes” or “Homecare” service rating, where CQC gives one) and 1 October 2026. We measure publication of a rating, not the date of a visit. CQC may have visited or reviewed a service since without publishing a new rating, and reports are usually published some weeks after an assessment.
• Never rated: no Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate rating, including services awaiting a first assessment and a small number shown as “Not rated” or “Insufficient evidence to rate”.
• Inherited ratings: when a service changes owner, CQC can carry its rating over. 1,073 care homes in the file show an inherited rating; their date is the predecessor’s rating date.
• No council recorded: one care home and three home care locations have no council in the CQC file. They are counted in England totals but not in any region or council.

Contains CQC data © Care Quality Commission. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. CQC is not responsible for this analysis or its interpretation.

Why ratings are getting older

CQC moved to a new “single assessment framework” from late 2023. The independent review of CQC by Dr Penny Dash, published by the Department of Health and Social Care in October 2024, found “a stark reduction in activity”, with just 6,700 inspections and assessments carried out in 2023 to 2024 compared with around 15,800 in 2019 to 2020, and listed “increasing age of ratings” among the results. It reported that the average age of current ratings across all locations was 3.9 years as of 30 July 2024. In its March 2026 update, CQC said it is “moving forward with our plans for a sector-based approach to regulation”, after consulting on “moving away from a single assessment framework to separate frameworks that are more specific and relevant to the health and care sectors that we regulate”. It published four draft sector-specific frameworks, including one for adult social care, with feedback open until 12 June 2026, and said it would then refine them to pilot and test them in practice in summer 2026. Check the CQC website for the current position.

CQC also notes in its data files that, under its new approach, adult social care locations providing more than one type of service no longer get a single location-level rating, and that a move to a new system has delayed some data updates.

Time since latest rating: England

Percentages here use all active locations as the denominator, so they add up to 100% including services never rated.

By region

Shares of rated services use rated locations as the denominator; never-rated shares use all locations.

Councils with the oldest care home ratings

The 15 councils with the highest share of rated care homes whose latest rating is 4 or more years old (councils with at least 10 rated homes). At the other end, Kensington and Chelsea has the lowest share at 10.0% (1 of 10).

What this means for families

A rating from 2021 tells you how a home was run in 2021. Managers, owners and staff may all have changed since. An old Good rating is not a warning sign on its own, but it should not be the only thing you rely on.

• Check the date on the CQC report and which key questions were looked at. Our CQC ratings explained guide shows how.
• Ask what has changed since. Has the manager changed? Has the home changed owner? What do recent staff turnover and agency use look like? See questions to ask when visiting a care home and, for agencies, our home care agency checklist.
• Look for more recent evidence. Ask for the home’s own quality audits, complaints log summary and council contract monitoring outcomes. Visit at different times of day.
• For never-rated services, ask about the registered manager’s track record and how the service has been set up. A trial period can help: see care home trial periods.
• Share your experience with CQC. CQC uses feedback to decide where to look next. You can give feedback on care at any time, and raise serious concerns with the council’s safeguarding team.

Our care home ratings league table and home care agencies by area report show how ratings vary by council. If something goes wrong, see how to complain about a care home.

Frequently asked questions

How often does CQC inspect care homes?

There is no fixed public timetable that every home follows. CQC decides when to assess based on risk and information it receives. In practice many ratings are old: at 1 October 2026, 49.2% of rated care homes in England had a latest rating published four or more years earlier, and 72.6% two or more years earlier.

What percentage of care homes have not been inspected for years?

6,648 of 13,499 rated care homes (49.2%) had a latest rating published at least four years before 1 October 2026, based on CQC data. 3,789 were last rated before 2020. CQC may have reviewed some without publishing a new rating.

Is an old CQC rating still reliable?

It shows how the service was at the time. Managers, owners and staff can change, so treat an old rating as a starting point. Check the report date, ask what has changed, visit more than once, and look at recent complaints, staffing and council monitoring.

Why have some home care agencies never been rated?

4,564 of 13,543 registered home care locations (33.7%) had no rating at 1 October 2026. Many registered recently, but 2,887 registered at least two years ago. Some may not yet be providing personal care. Ask any unrated agency how long it has operated and about its manager’s experience.

Which region has the oldest care home ratings?

The East of England had the highest share of rated care homes with a rating four or more years old, at 55.0%, just ahead of the West Midlands (also 55.0% when rounded). London had the lowest at 40.6%. The England average was 49.2%.

Is CQC changing how it inspects care homes?

Yes. In March 2026 CQC said it is moving forward with a sector-based approach, replacing its single assessment framework with separate frameworks for different sectors, including adult social care. Draft frameworks were open for feedback until 12 June 2026, and CQC said it planned to pilot and test them in summer 2026. Check the CQC website for the latest timetable.

Sources

• CQC: Using CQC data (care directory with filters and with ratings, 1 October 2026)
• CQC: Our March update (2026)
• CQC: Give your views on draft sector-specific assessment frameworks
• DHSC: Review into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission (full report)
• CQC: Give feedback on care
• Open Government Licence v3.0

Data correct as of the CQC 1 October 2026 release. Download the table: a CSV of the full council-level table is available on request through our contact page, as we cannot host downloadable files yet.

General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.