On a national scale, of the UK’s 13,475 care homes which were registered in early 2026, more than 5,400 had not seen a full investigation from the health watchdog since 2021.
Groombridge, who uncovered the figures, said: “How can families feel confident that their loved ones are receiving the care they deserve if inspections are not taking place regularly?
“The vast majority of adult social care providers and their staff work incredibly hard to deliver high-quality care but that does not remove the need for proper oversight, inspection and accountability.”
The CQC told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it continually monitored all the information it held about a service and received intelligence from several sources including local councils, safeguarding teams, relatives and whistleblowers.
The CQC also stated whenever it received any information causing concern it aimed to respond as quickly as possible.