Largest Care Home Companies in the UK
HC-One Ltd was the largest care home operator in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019, with over 20,700 beds. Four Seasons Health Care (FSHC) and Barchester Healthcare completed the top three with 17,000 and 13,000 beds respectively.
Number of Care Homes in the UK
Care facilities in the UK have yearly revenue of £15.9 billion and a population of 410,000 people. According to research, care home providers in the United Kingdom operate 11,300 facilities for the elderly. In the private sector, 95% of their beds are available to the public.
Ownership of Care Homes
Many homes are independently run, however, a large number sit within care home groups or providers. HC-One and Care UK are currently owned by private equity firms.
Private Care Costs in the UK
You should expect to pay on average between £20 to £30 per hour for a carer to visit you.
Best Care Providers in the UK
Capability Scotland and Belfast Trust are recognised in ratings by care recipients as some of the best care providers in the UK.
Regulatory Bodies and Visit Procedures
The UK’s different regulatory bodies are: Care Quality Commission (CQC) for England, Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) for Wales, Care Inspectorate (CI) for Scotland, and Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) for Northern Ireland. Visiting one of care homes is easy, either make an appointment with the home manager or simply drop in to be shown around! With over 125 care homes across England and Scotland, discover your closest Care UK care home. From dementia care and short stay respite breaks to registered nursing care, we offer many different types of support in our homes.
Average Cost of Care Homes
The average cost of a care home in the UK is around £600 a week for a residential home and around £800 a week for a nursing home. However, there are big regional differences: median home cost in London borough of Islington charged £82,264, while in Hull and Wigan median cost was about £33,000. Nursing homes are more expensive, at an average of £1,078 a week.
Historical Context
The first government attempts at providing basic care for elderly and infirm took place in 1834 with the New Poor Law. Mass unemployment followed the end of Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and introduction of new technology meant established system of poor relief was unsustainable.