Dementia Care Gap UK 2026 — Where Specialist Care Is Hardest to Find

Not all areas of England have equal access to specialist dementia care. This page identifies the local authorities with the fewest dementia care homes relative to population, highlighting gaps in provision across the country.

Key findings

8,264 dementia specialist care homes registered with the CQC in England
55.8% of all care homes offer specialist dementia care
Worst coverage: Lambeth with just 0.2 dementia homes per 10,000 population
Best coverage: Isle of Wight with 3.2 dementia homes per 10,000 population

Worst-served areas for dementia care

Local authorities ranked by dementia care availability, from fewest to most specialist homes per 10,000 population.

Rank	Local authority	Region	Population	Total homes	Dementia homes	Per 10k
1	Lambeth	London	317,800	34	6	0.2
2	Newham	London	351,100	24	7	0.2
3	Haringey	London	264,100	24	4	0.2
4	Hackney	London	259,200	13	4	0.2
5	Tower Hamlets	London	310,300	10	6	0.2
6	Greenwich	London	289,100	43	10	0.3
7	Southwark	London	307,700	14	8	0.3
8	Camden	London	210,100	12	7	0.3
9	Brent	London	339,800	48	13	0.4
10	Hounslow	London	292,300	32	12	0.4
11	Islington	London	216,600	18	9	0.4
12	Hammersmith and Fulham	London	183,200	11	8	0.4
13	Westminster	London	204,400	9	8	0.4
14	Wandsworth	London	327,500	26	15	0.5
15	Barking and Dagenham	London	218,900	23	10	0.5
16	Kensington and Chelsea	London	143,400	11	7	0.5
17	Manchester	North West	552,858	84	35	0.6
18	Lewisham	London	300,500	50	19	0.6
19	Ealing	London	366,000	38	21	0.6
20	Waltham Forest	London	278,100	46	20	0.7
21	Bexley	London	247,000	31	17	0.7
22	Redbridge	London	311,500	76	24	0.8
23	Reading	South East	174,224	32	14	0.8
24	Liverpool	North West	496,770	85	45	0.9
25	Coventry	West Midlands	369,127	71	35	0.9
26	Bromley	London	332,400	52	30	0.9
27	Hillingdon	London	305,900	47	29	0.9
28	Salford	North West	269,900	43	23	0.9
29	Merton	London	215,000	37	20	0.9
30	Birmingham	West Midlands	1,149,000	279	120	1

Per 10k = dementia specialist homes per 10,000 population. Lower values indicate less access to specialist dementia care.

Best-served areas for dementia care

Local authorities with the highest dementia care availability per capita.

Rank	Local authority	Region	Population	Dementia homes	Per 10k
1	Isle of Wight	South East	140,400	45	3.2
2	Blackpool	North West	139,305	44	3.2
3	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire & Humberside	342,200	107	3.1
4	Lincolnshire	East Midlands	770,200	176	2.3
5	Northumberland	North East	320,600	70	2.2
6	East Sussex	South East	552,200	120	2.2
7	Sefton	North West	279,800	59	2.1
8	Worcestershire	West Midlands	603,500	126	2.1
9	Devon	South West	814,700	171	2.1
10	Lancashire	North West	1,235,100	254	2.1

Regional dementia care breakdown

Dementia specialist care home availability by English region.

Region	Total homes	Dementia homes	Avg per 10k
South East	2,800	1,496	1.6
North West	1,866	1,101	1.5
South West	1,850	985	1.7
East	1,650	963	1.5
West Midlands	1,680	942	1.6
Yorkshire & Humberside	1,471	875	1.6
East Midlands	1,456	824	1.6
London	1,285	595	0.7
North East	738	474	1.8

Avg per 10k = average of LA-level dementia homes per 10,000 population within each region. This measures per-capita availability, not absolute count.

Frequently asked questions

How many dementia care homes are there?

There are 8,264 CQC-registered dementia specialist care homes in England, representing 55.8% of all 14,807 care homes. These are homes that list dementia as a specialism or service type in their CQC registration.

Which area has the fewest dementia homes?

Lambeth has the lowest dementia care availability at 0.2 specialist homes per 10,000 population, with just 6 dementia homes for a population of 317,800. Availability varies widely across England.

What makes a care home a dementia specialist?

A care home is classified as a dementia specialist when it registers dementia care as a service type or specialism with the CQC. This means it meets CQC standards for dementia care, including secure environments, trained staff, and appropriate care plans. Not all care homes that accept residents with dementia are registered specialists — the specialist designation indicates a dedicated focus on dementia care.

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Data source: CQC Care Directory (Open Government Licence v3.0) for care home counts and dementia specialisms. ONS mid-year population estimates for per-capita calculations. Dementia specialist classification based on CQC-registered service types and specialisms.