How many care homes are there in the UK?
There's no single UK count of care homes: each nation's regulator keeps its own register, so the figures below come from four places and four different dates.
| Figure | What it counts | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14,902 | Locations in England listed as residential homes (10,385) or nursing homes (4,517) in the CQC care directory produced on 4 November 2026. Our count of the downloaded file. | Care Quality Commission | 11 November 2026 |
| 1,035 | Care homes for adults registered with Care Inspectorate Wales on 31 March 2026: 787 without nursing (13,213 places) and 248 with nursing (11,931 places) | Care Inspectorate Wales annual report 2025-2026 | 11 November 2026 |
| 982 | Active care home services for adults in the Care Inspectorate datastore at 30 September 2026 (756 of them for older people). Children's care homes left out. Our count of the downloaded file. | Care Inspectorate (Scotland) | 11 November 2026 |
| 469 | Nursing homes (243) and residential care homes (226) on the RQIA register for Northern Ireland, in the spreadsheet dated 8 June 2026. Our count of the downloaded file. | Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority | 11 November 2026 |
| 18,970 | Workplaces (local units) registered for VAT or PAYE under SIC 87100, 87300 | ONS UK Business Counts 2026 | 2026 release |
Add the four regulator figures together and you get roughly 17,388 registered care homes for adults across the UK. That's the best answer to "how many care homes are there?", but treat it as a snapshot: the files were produced between March and November 2026, and homes open, close and change owner every month.
The ONS figure counts something different. It counts workplaces by industry code and only those registered for VAT or PAYE, so it doesn't line up one-for-one with any register. Our own count of 17,946 is different again: it's business listings in three categories (residential homes, nursing homes, and rest and retirement homes), so it can include a few retirement settings that aren't registered care homes, and a group's head office can appear alongside its homes.
Use the regulator figures to size the market. Use our count to see how many homes you can actually reach, and with which contact details.
Can I get a free list of care homes?
If you only need names and addresses of care homes in one nation, the regulators' own files are free and more current than most paid lists. Here's what each one gives you and what its terms say.
CQC care directory (England)
Limited marketing use
A downloadable spreadsheet of every location the CQC regulates, with name, address, phone number, website, service type, provider and local authority. Filter the service types to "Residential homes" and "Nursing homes". A second file, the care directory with filters, adds registered managers and bed numbers. The CQC says of the main file: "The file does not contain email addresses."
“Our data is made available under the Open Government Licence. By using it you are accepting the conditions of this licence. If you use our data, you should also acknowledge on your site or service that you are using CQC information.”
The Open Government Licence lets you reuse the home and provider details, including commercially. It doesn't cover personal data, so the registered manager's name is a different matter: if you use it, you're the one responsible under UK GDPR. No email addresses, so it's a list for post and phone.
Care Inspectorate datastore (Scotland)
Limited marketing use
A monthly CSV and Excel file of every active care service in Scotland. Filter to "Care Home Service" with client group "Adults". It includes the manager's name, the number of beds, the provider, and a contact email field for each service.
“Unless otherwise stated, all content is available under the Open Government Licence.”
The most complete free file of the four, and the only one with email addresses. The same limit applies: the licence doesn't cover the managers' names, and an email address that identifies a person is personal data. Check each address before you use it for marketing.
Care Inspectorate Wales data
Limited marketing use
CIW has an online search of care services, but no download we could find. Its data page says the directory data can be requested by email from its information team.
“copy, publish, distribute and transmit the information, as long as you do this in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and acknowledge the source.”
Commercial reuse is allowed, but you have to ask for the file and wait for it. Data protection law still applies to any named person in it.
RQIA register (Northern Ireland)
Limited marketing use
Excel files of registered services (children's services left out), including nursing and residential homes, with address, phone number, number of places, the responsible person, the manager and the provider. The copy we downloaded was dated 8 June 2026.
We couldn't find any terms of use or licence on the RQIA website, so we can't tell you what it allows. Ask RQIA before reusing it for marketing, and treat the names in it as personal data.
Doing it yourself? Download the CQC and Care Inspectorate files, filter them as above, ask CIW for the Welsh data, and take the RQIA spreadsheet. Expect to spend time lining up four different column layouts. Credit the source as each licence asks, and don't present the result as an official or approved list: the Open Government Licence says it gives no right to suggest official endorsement.
What's in a list of care homes you can buy?
These are the care homes available from us, and how many records include each kind of contact detail. They're the contacts we hold, not the size of the market: the official figures above are the market.
| Field | Records | Coverage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postal addresses | 17,946 | 100% | |
| Phone numbers | 17,946 | 100% | |
| Named contacts (a person, usually with job title) | 14,846 | 83% | |
| General company email addresses (info@, enquiries@ etc.) | 4,350 | 24% | |
| Named contact email addresses | 7,492 | 42% |
Most care homes on our list don't have a named email. 7,492 of the 17,946 records (about 42%) have an email for a named person. A further 4,350 have only a general inbox, and the rest have no email at all. If you need to reach every home, plan on post and phone, and use email as an extra where we hold it.
One record is one care home: the building where residents live, with its own address and phone number. Where a group runs many homes, each home is a separate record, so a group with twenty homes appears twenty times. Nursing homes and rest and retirement homes are separate categories, so you can take residential homes only, add nursing homes, or take all three.
14,846 records have a named contact, usually the person running the home. Names go out of date when a manager moves on, so mail addressed by job title ("The Registered Manager") as well as by name is a sensible fallback.
Who makes the buying decisions at care homes, and how do you reach them?
Who signs off a purchase depends on whether the home is independent or part of a group. Two of the roles below, registered manager and nominated individual, are defined in the regulations the CQC enforces in England.
| Job title | What they decide | Best way to reach them |
|---|---|---|
| Registered manager | The person registered with the regulator to manage the home day to day. Decides on training, agency cover, small equipment, activities and local services; for anything bigger, they recommend and someone else approves. | Post addressed to the home works well and is read. Named email where we hold it. They're often on the floor, so expect a slow reply. |
| Nominated individual | The director or senior manager the provider names to the CQC as responsible for supervising how the care is run. In small providers this is often the owner. Signs off anything that affects compliance across the provider's homes. | Post to the provider's registered address. Not shown in the free CQC file, so you'll need the provider's own website or a bought list. |
| Owner or managing director (independent homes) | Decides on contracts, utilities, insurance, building work and anything with a long commitment. Owners of one or two homes usually decide alone. | A letter to the owner by name at the provider's address, then a phone call to the home. |
| Procurement or central services team (groups) | Sets approved supplier lists and group-wide contracts. Individual homes in a group often can't buy outside the list. | Contact head office, not the homes. Find the provider name in the CQC or Care Inspectorate file, then target the group's main office. |
| Council commissioning team (council-run homes) | Buying for council-run homes usually goes through the council's procurement team rather than the home. | Write to the council's commissioning or procurement team, and watch its tender notices. |
In Northern Ireland the RQIA register names a "responsible person" for each home as well as the manager, which gives you a second named route in. Scotland's datastore names the manager only.
What are the rules for marketing to care homes?
The rules depend on how each business is set up. Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), sole traders and ordinary partnerships count as individual subscribers, and limited companies, LLPs and other organisations count as corporate subscribers. Wherever a record names a person, UK GDPR applies as well: you need a lawful basis (usually legitimate interests), you must tell them where you got their details, and you must stop if they object.
How UK care homes are set up, according to the Office for National Statistics (18,970 workplaces, UK Business Counts 2026, SIC 87100, 87300):
| Legal form | UK workplaces | Share | How PECR treats them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited companies and LLPs | 11,750 | 62% | Corporate subscriber |
| Sole traders | 260 | 1% | Individual subscriber |
| Partnerships | 325 | 2% | Individual subscriber |
| Charities, clubs and other non-profits | 5,805 | 31% | Corporate subscriber |
| Public sector | 840 | 4% | Corporate subscriber |
| Channel | Sole traders and partnerships (about 3% of this sector, by ONS figures) | Companies, LLPs, charities and public bodies |
|---|---|---|
| Post | Allowed. PECR doesn't cover addressed mail; UK GDPR applies to a named person. | Allowed. UK GDPR applies to a named person. |
| Live sales calls | Allowed unless the number is on the TPS (or they've told you not to call). | Allowed unless the number is on the CTPS (or they've told you not to call). |
| Marketing email and text | Only with their prior consent (or the "soft opt-in" for your own customers). | Allowed without prior consent, if you say who you are and give a simple way to opt out. |
Points specific to care homes:
- Register data isn't consent. The Open Government Licence used by the CQC, the Care Inspectorate and CIW says: "This licence does not cover: personal data in the Information". So a free register lets you reuse a home's name and address, but a manager's name taken from it is personal data, and UK GDPR applies to how you use it.
- Named work emails. Most care homes are run by companies or charities, which PECR treats as corporate subscribers. The ICO still warns: "You may also need to consider data protection implications if you are emailing employees at a corporate body who have personal corporate email addresses". Tell the person where you got their details and stop if they ask.
- Don't imply official approval. If your marketing uses register data, don't word it as though the regulator recommends you or supplied the list.
How much does a list of care homes cost?
You pay per record, and the price per record falls as the order grows:
| Number of records | Price per 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 2,500 | £295 |
| 2,500 to 4,999 | £270 |
| 5,000 to 9,999 | £245 |
| 10,000 to 19,999 | £220 |
| 20,000 to 49,999 | £195 |
| 50,000 or more | £170 |
Other lists of UK businesses
Questions people ask about a list of care homes
Where can I get a list of care homes in the UK with decision-maker email addresses?
Not from the regulators' main downloads: the CQC says its locations file "does not contain email addresses". Scotland's datastore has a contact email field for each service, which may or may not be a person's own address. We hold 7,492 named contact emails across 17,946 care homes, about four in ten. For the rest, use post (and phone) to reach the registered manager or owner by name.
Is there a free list of care homes I can use for marketing?
Yes, for names and addresses. The CQC (England) and Care Inspectorate (Scotland) files are free to download under the Open Government Licence, which allows commercial reuse but doesn't cover personal data such as manager names. Wales supplies its data on request, and we couldn't find reuse terms for Northern Ireland's RQIA spreadsheet. You still have to follow PECR and UK GDPR when you market to them.
How many care homes are there in the UK?
About 17,388 adult care homes, adding up the four regulators: 14,902 in England (CQC, November 2026), 1,035 in Wales (CIW, March 2026), 982 in Scotland (Care Inspectorate, September 2026) and 469 in Northern Ireland (RQIA, June 2026). In England, 4,517 of them are nursing homes.
Can I download the CQC list of care homes as a spreadsheet?
Yes. The CQC's "Using CQC data" page has a free locations file covering England, plus a care directory with filters that adds registered managers and bed numbers. Filter the service type to residential homes or nursing homes. It's published under the Open Government Licence, and the CQC asks you to acknowledge that you're using its information.
How do I get a list of care homes in Scotland?
Download the Care Inspectorate datastore. It's updated monthly as an Excel or CSV file, and you filter it to care home services for adults. It covers active services only, includes managers' names and bed numbers, and is published under the Open Government Licence.
Can I use the registered manager's name from the CQC file to send marketing?
The licence doesn't cover it. The Open Government Licence excludes personal data, so a manager's name is yours to handle under UK GDPR: have a lawful basis (usually legitimate interests), tell them where you got their details, and stop if they object. Post is the simplest channel for a named letter.
Do care homes in a group buy centrally?
Often, yes. Larger groups usually run an approved supplier list from head office, so the manager of one home may like your offer but be unable to order. Use the provider name in the register to find the group, and approach its central team as well as the homes.
How much does a list of care homes cost?
Lists are priced per record: £295 per 1,000 for orders under 2,500 records, falling to £170 per 1,000 for 50,000 or more (excluding VAT). With 17,946 care homes available, a UK-wide list falls in the 10,000 to 19,999 band. Ask for a free count for your area and an exact price.