Where Are England’s Outstanding-Rated Care Homes?
Outstanding is the CQC's highest rating, and only 5.7% of rated care homes in the CareFinder database hold it. It is not spread evenly: South Gloucestershire leads the table with 25% of its rated homes rated Outstanding, while many areas have none at all.
Method. Open care homes in England were assigned to the council area containing their postcode, and the number holding a current overall CQC rating of Outstanding was counted. Areas are ranked by that number as a percentage of their rated homes, so a small area with few homes cannot top the table on a single home.
Sample. 7,798 rated homes; areas need at least 10 rated homes to appear.
Excluded. Closed homes, unrated homes, and Scottish services (graded by the Care Inspectorate on a different scale).
Data correct as of. 18 September 2026. Source: CareFinder database, built from the Care Quality Commission register, with council areas assigned from each home’s postcode.
Top areas by share of Outstanding homes
| # | Area | Outstanding | Rated homes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Gloucestershire | 10 | 40 | 25% |
| 2 | Kingston upon Thames | 4 | 20 | 20% |
| 3 | West Northamptonshire | 9 | 51 | 17.6% |
| 4 | Nottingham | 8 | 46 | 17.4% |
| 5 | North Lincolnshire | 5 | 31 | 16.1% |
| 6 | Plymouth | 8 | 50 | 16% |
| 7 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 11 | 76 | 14.5% |
| 8 | Trafford | 3 | 21 | 14.3% |
| 9 | Darlington | 2 | 14 | 14.3% |
| 10 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 4 | 29 | 13.8% |
| 11 | Wigan | 4 | 30 | 13.3% |
| 12 | Milton Keynes | 3 | 23 | 13% |
| 13 | Swindon | 4 | 32 | 12.5% |
| 14 | North Northamptonshire | 6 | 51 | 11.8% |
| 15 | Suffolk | 10 | 87 | 11.5% |
| 16 | Bury | 3 | 27 | 11.1% |
| 17 | Oxfordshire | 9 | 83 | 10.8% |
| 18 | North East Lincolnshire | 3 | 28 | 10.7% |
| 19 | Blackpool | 3 | 28 | 10.7% |
| 20 | Sunderland | 4 | 39 | 10.3% |
| 21 | Doncaster | 4 | 39 | 10.3% |
| 22 | Gloucestershire | 11 | 109 | 10.1% |
| 23 | Middlesbrough | 2 | 20 | 10% |
| 24 | Devon | 17 | 173 | 9.8% |
| 25 | Nottinghamshire | 14 | 146 | 9.6% |
| 26 | North Tyneside | 2 | 21 | 9.5% |
| 27 | Reading | 2 | 21 | 9.5% |
| 28 | Norfolk | 16 | 176 | 9.1% |
| 29 | Barnsley | 4 | 44 | 9.1% |
| 30 | St. Helens | 2 | 22 | 9.1% |
| 31 | Peterborough | 2 | 22 | 9.1% |
| 32 | Barking and Dagenham | 1 | 11 | 9.1% |
| 33 | Northumberland | 4 | 46 | 8.7% |
| 34 | Wolverhampton | 4 | 47 | 8.5% |
| 35 | Derbyshire | 9 | 109 | 8.3% |
| 36 | Lincolnshire | 13 | 165 | 7.9% |
| 37 | Shropshire | 5 | 65 | 7.7% |
| 38 | Bromley | 2 | 26 | 7.7% |
| 39 | York | 1 | 13 | 7.7% |
| 40 | Worcestershire | 7 | 92 | 7.6% |
An Outstanding rating describes the service at its last inspection. Read how CQC ratings work, and how much weight to give them.
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