More than a third (38%) of home care providers in England have no rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), according to new data revealed by homecare.co.uk, the UK’s leading home care reviews website.
Data obtained by homecare.co.uk shows that out of 11,954 home care providers in England, 4,552 had not been rated by the regulator. This means that families considering those services have no official assessment of whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
The news has been released as part of homecare.co.uk’s new report, Caring Britain: How homecare reviews are shaping care choices, which looks at what consumer reviews on the platform reveal about the home care market today.
It also found that out of home care providers in England that have a CQC rating, 89% are rated Good or Outstanding. At the same time, 90% of providers reviewed on homecare.co.uk score more than 9 out of 10, painting a positive picture of the state of home care sector across the country.
The new report comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham develops plans for a National Care Service with care starting in the home. Nearly 639,000 people in Britain already receive care at home, compared with around 441,000 who live in care homes.
Analysis of verified reviews published on homecare.co.uk between September 2025 and August 2026 found that home care providers receive an average rating of 4.76 out of 5. Being treated with dignity was the highest-rated part of care, at 4.83, followed by care and support (4.79) and staff (4.78). Value for money was rated lowest, at 4.65.
Review scores also rise with price. Providers charging more than £35 an hour have an average rating of 4.87 out of 5, compared with 4.76 for those charging less than £20 an hour. The biggest difference is in ratings for care and support, which rise from 4.73 to 4.91.
The findings also come as more families use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini to find and compare home care.
With reviews now reaching families through more routes than ever, homecare.co.uk is calling on home care providers to encourage the people they support, and their loved ones, to review their care and share their experience, to help others find the right home care setting.
Will Blackwell, CEO of Tomorrow’s Guides, which operates homecare.co.uk, said:
“More than half a million people in Britain already receive care at home, and this number will only grow if the Prime Minister’s plans for a National Care Service go ahead.
“Yet home care can be harder to evaluate than care in a care home, as it is delivered in a more private environment. At the same time, regulatory ratings are not keeping pace, with more than a third of home care providers in England yet to receive a CQC rating. This leaves many families making one of the most important and emotional decisions they will face with little information to go on.
“This is where verified reviews from people who use these services, and from their families, can help fill the gap, and give other care seekers a first-hand account of the care they received. With more families relying on reviews to guide their search, it is important for every provider to encourage the people they support to share their experience, to help other families make an informed and confident choice.”
