Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) number of care home closures in England in the past three years, and (2) the impact these closures have had on the health and wellbeing of the residents affected.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) publishes data on locations that were previously regulated by the CQC and have since been deactivated. A location can be deactivated for several reasons and does not mean that the service has closed in every instance. For example, it may have re-registered due to changes in its legal structure or its address.

The following table below shows the number of care home deactivations in England in each year from 2019 to January 2022.

Note:

A nursing home is a ‘care home service with nursing’ and a residential home is a ‘care home without nursing’. A care home location which has both service types is also classified as a nursing home.

The figures provided represent the number of care homes that have deactivated excluding locations that have a published 'successor' organisation where the service continues, but under new registration due to a legal entity change or a change in the provider. It may take several months for a ’successor’ location to be published following a location deactivating and a new location activating. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities also have a temporary duty to ensure continuity of care if a provider fails or exits the market.

No specific assessment has been made of the impact of care home closures on the health and wellbeing of residents.