Nearly three in five adults uncomfortable choosing care homes rated 'Requires Improvement'
Care homes carrying a Requires Improvement (RI) rating may face significant challenges in attracting new residents, according to new research commissioned by OpenScore.
The representative survey of 1,000 UK adults, carried out by OpenPoll, found that 59 per cent would feel uncomfortable placing a family member in a care home rated RI, while just under a third (31 per cent) said they would be “not comfortable at all”. Among women, the figure rose to nearly two thirds (64 per cent).
A total of 2,265 care homes in England were rated RI as of 4 August 2026, with a further 108 rated Inadequate, according to the researchers’ analysis of the latest CQC data. The survey also suggested that providers that have improved standards since their last inspection may continue to be affected by historic ratings that remain visible to prospective residents and families.
However, while the research highlights concerns around ageing inspection reports, it also indicates that regulatory ratings remain influential in families' decision-making. More than seven in ten (72.1 per cent) of respondents said they were confident that an official regulator rating accurately reflects the day-to-day happiness and quality of life of residents, including more than a fifth (22.8 per cent) who were "very confident’, while a similar proportion (21 per cent) said they were not confident.
Meanwhile, the care provider data platform’s wider Social Care Inspection Gap Report found that 52 per cent of respondents would be uncomfortable signing a care contract based on an official rating more than three years old, ‘given that care home fees can cost thousands of pounds a month’, while 89 per cent said access to real-time information was essential when selecting a care home.
Hygiene and cleanliness concerns
When respondents were asked what concerned them most about a care home that had not been officially inspected in three years, 62 per cent selected falling hygiene and cleanliness standards, while almost half (48 per cent) feared a serious safety incident could go undetected, while a third (35 per cent) were concerned about a change in ownership or management, and slightly fewer (30 per cent) pointed to high staff turnover as an issue.
The findings highlight a gap between public expectations and current regulatory practice. While more than two thirds (67 per cent) of respondents believed care homes are inspected at least annually, the average age of Care Quality Commission ratings across regulated services is 3.9 years, according to the 2024 government commissioned Dash review.
The regulator has stated that assessments are scheduled according to the intelligence and evidence it receives rather than a fixed inspection timetable, and it confirmed in May that adult social care services with ratings more than six years old are among those being prioritised for assessment.
Commenting on the findings, OpenScore and Autumna founder Debbie Harris said families increasingly want access to current information on care quality and argued that providers should be able to demonstrate improvements made between regulatory assessments.
