Paying for a care home: Council-funded

Your council may pay some or all of the fees after a care needs assessment and a financial assessment (means test). Not every home accepts the council’s rate, and some ask for a top-up paid by a relative.

Paying for a care home: Self-funded

In England you usually pay for your own care if you have savings and assets worth more than £23,250. Below that, the council may help.

Paying for a care home: NHS continuing healthcare

If your main need is a health need, the NHS can pay for the full cost of your care. It depends on an assessment, not on your savings.

Paying for a care home: NHS-funded nursing care

In a nursing home, the NHS pays a contribution towards care given by a registered nurse, whoever is paying the rest.

Care homes in England and Scotland – CQC ratings

Docorix lists 14,260 care homes in England and Scotland, in 1356 towns and cities. 6,744 hold a current CQC rating and 5,489 of those are rated Good or Outstanding. Together they are registered for 288,940 beds.

CQC register data updated 7 October 2026

When comparing care homes, start with the CQC rating and the date it was published, then visit in person at different times of day. Ask how staff support people with needs like yours, what the fees include and how they change, and whether the home accepts local authority or NHS Continuing Healthcare funding. Homes with nursing care have registered nurses on site around the clock; residential homes provide personal care only.

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Showing 30 of 14260

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Order: official CQC rating only – Outstanding first, then Good. Providers cannot pay to appear higher.

Care homes by county

Care homes by town or city

Showing the 60 towns with the most; use the search to find the rest.

Who runs care homes?

40NHS
12,289Independent
1,587Charity / not-for-profit
344Council-run

Taken from the CQC register: “NHS” means run by an NHS body or providing NHS primary care; “Independent” is the CQC’s word for a provider that is not an NHS body – a company, partnership or individual. It says who runs the service, not who pays: many independent providers deliver NHS- or council-funded care. Charities and community interest companies are shown separately, where the register or the provider’s name says so. Use the All · NHS · Private switch at the top of any directory page to browse one kind only.

All nhs services → All independent services →

Paying for a care home

Council-funded: Your council may pay some or all of the fees after a care needs assessment and a financial assessment (means test). Not every home accepts the council’s rate, and some ask for a top-up paid by a relative.
Self-funded: In England you usually pay for your own care if you have savings and assets worth more than £23,250. Below that, the council may help.
NHS continuing healthcare: If your main need is a health need, the NHS can pay for the full cost of your care. It depends on an assessment, not on your savings.
NHS-funded nursing care: In a nursing home, the NHS pays a contribution towards care given by a registered nurse, whoever is paying the rest.

The CQC register does not record which types of funding each provider accepts, so always ask the provider – and get the answer in writing before you commit.

Official guidance: NHS: paying for your own care NHS: when the council might pay NHS continuing healthcare NHS-funded nursing care GOV.UK: ask for a needs assessment

General guidance for England, not financial advice. Rules and charges change – check the official pages above.

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Care homes in England and Scotland

Care homes by county

Care homes by town or city

Who runs care homes?

Paying for a care home

Other types of service