How much has Care Home occupancy actually dropped recently?

‘For care homes that fall within the Market Oversight scheme (approximately 30% of the total care home sector), occupancy levels were on average 87% prior to the pandemic. These levels are estimated to have reduced by around 10% at the height of the first wave of the pandemic. While average occupancy levels increased over summer to approximately 80%, they remain considerably below normal and may fall again.’

This historical article draws on CQC’s COVID-19 Insight: Issue 6 report, which examined care-home occupancy and capacity during 2020. The registered-bed comparison covered 1 March to 1 November 2020.

‘We have looked at the latest data from our register of care homes, and this shows that the total number of registered care home beds is still relatively unchanged. The total number of care home beds across the country at 1 November 2020 was 457,636 compared with 456,892 at 1 March 2020. This shows a very small increase in beds (less than 0.2%)’

‘Financial challenges do not yet appear to have given rise to home closures, but it is unlikely that this can be maintained if occupancy levels decline over the long term.’

Historical data: The occupancy and registered-bed figures in this article describe the 2020 pandemic period. They are not current care-home market benchmarks.