Largest Care Home Providers UK 2026 — Who Owns England's Care Homes?

England has 14,807 CQC-registered care homes operated by 100 distinct providers. This page ranks the largest operators by number of homes and analyses market concentration across the sector.

Key findings

100 distinct providers operate 14,807 care homes across England
Voyage 1 Limited is the largest operator with 244 homes (1.6% of total)
Top 10 providers own 9.7% of all homes (1,433 homes between them)
Top 20 providers own 13.1% of all homes (1,944 homes)

Top 50 care home providers

Ranked by number of CQC-registered care homes in England.

Rank	Provider	Homes	% of total	Regions	LAs covered
1	Voyage 1 Limited	244	1.6%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	81
2	Care UK Care Services Limited	242	1.6%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	82
3	Barchester Healthcare Homes Limited	227	1.5%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	79
4	Achieve Together Limited	147	1%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	49
5	Anchor Hanover Group	121	0.8%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	57
6	HC-One Limited	115	0.8%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	47
7	Care UK Community Partnerships Ltd	110	0.7%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	55
8	Sanctuary Care Limited	84	0.6%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	42
9	Parkcare Homes (No.2) Limited	74	0.5%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	33
10	Methodist Homes	69	0.5%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	53
11	Community Homes of Intensive Care and Education Limited	66	0.4%	South East, South West	16
12	Runwood Homes Limited	59	0.4%	East, East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	12
13	Consensus Support Services Limited	59	0.4%	East, East Midlands, London, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands	24
14	The Orders Of St. John Care Trust	57	0.4%	East Midlands, South East, South West	6
15	Prime Life Limited	55	0.4%	East, East Midlands, North West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	15
16	Heathcotes Care Limited	52	0.4%	East Midlands, London, North West, South East, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	27
17	Willowbrook Healthcare Limited	49	0.3%	East, East Midlands, London, South East, South West, West Midlands	28
18	Aria Healthcare Group LTD	39	0.3%	East, East Midlands, London, South East, South West, West Midlands	24
19	WT UK Opco 4 Limited	38	0.3%	East, East Midlands, London, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	24
20	Milestones Trust	37	0.2%	South West	5
21	HC-One No.1 Limited	37	0.2%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	26
22	Sense	36	0.2%	East, East Midlands, London, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	15
23	Leonard Cheshire Disability	34	0.2%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	24
24	St Anne's Community Services	29	0.2%	North East, Yorkshire & Humberside	7
25	Healthcare Homes Group Limited	29	0.2%	East, South West	6
26	Bupa Care Homes (ANS) Limited	28	0.2%	East, London, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	24
27	Minster Care Management Limited	28	0.2%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands	19
28	Royal Mencap Society	28	0.2%	East, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	20
29	Akari Care Limited	28	0.2%	East Midlands, North East, North West, South East, Yorkshire & Humberside	11
30	Accomplish Group Limited	27	0.2%	East, East Midlands, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands	16
31	Greensleeves Homes Trust	27	0.2%	East, London, South East, South West, West Midlands	21
32	Bupa Care Homes (BNH) Limited	26	0.2%	East, East Midlands, London, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	16
33	Caretech Community Services (No.2) Limited	26	0.2%	East, London, South East	6
34	HF Trust Limited	26	0.2%	East, London, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	14
35	London Paramount Care Ltd	25	0.2%	East, North West, South East	7
36	Community Integrated Care	25	0.2%	North East, North West, South East, South West	12
37	Bupa Care Homes (CFChomes) Limited	24	0.2%	East, London, South East, South West, West Midlands	19
38	Potensial Limited	23	0.2%	East Midlands, North East, North West, South West	14
39	Valorum Care Limited	23	0.2%	East Midlands, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	16
40	DHCH14 Limited	23	0.2%	North West	7
41	Lancashire County Council	23	0.2%	North West	1
42	Black Swan International Limited	23	0.2%	East, East Midlands	5
43	Quantum Care Limited	22	0.1%	East	3
44	St Philips Care Limited	21	0.1%	East Midlands, North East, North West, South West, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	11
45	Kisimul Group Limited	21	0.1%	East, East Midlands, London, South East	5
46	Somerset Care Limited	21	0.1%	South West	1
47	Choice Support	21	0.1%	East, London, South East	9
48	CareTech Community Services Limited	21	0.1%	East, London, South East, South West, West Midlands	14
49	Linkage Community Trust	21	0.1%	East Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside	2
50	Bright Futures Care Limited	20	0.1%	North West	7

Based on CQC Care Directory data. Provider names as registered with the CQC. Percentage calculated against 14,807 total registered care homes.

Market concentration analysis

The top 10 providers operate 1,433 homes (9.7% of the market). The top 20 account for 1,944 homes (13.1%). The remaining 90.3% is split across thousands of small independent operators, many running just one or two homes.

Concentration summary

Top 10 providers1,433 homes (9.7%)

Top 20 providers1,944 homes (13.1%)

All other providers13,374 homes (90.3%)

England’s care home market is highly fragmented. Unlike the hospital sector, where a handful of NHS trusts dominate, care homes are predominantly owned by independent operators. This fragmentation means significant variation in fees, care quality, and availability between individual homes, even within the same local authority area.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the largest care home provider?

Voyage 1 Limited operates 244 CQC-registered care homes across England, making it the largest single provider by number of homes. It accounts for 1.6% of all registered care homes.

Are care homes mostly independent?

Yes. The top 10 providers operate 1,433 homes (9.7% of the total). The remaining 90.3% is split across thousands of smaller operators, many running a single home. The care home sector is fragmented compared to other industries.

Does ownership affect quality?

CQC inspection data shows no consistent relationship between provider size and care quality. Large chains benefit from standardised processes and training programmes, while independent operators often provide more personalised care. The CQC rates each home individually regardless of ownership.

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Tools

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Data source: CQC Care Directory (Open Government Licence v3.0). Provider names and home counts as registered with the Care Quality Commission. Percentages calculated against 14,807 total registered care homes in England.