There are approximately 564,000 care home beds in the UK (462 in England, 46k in Scotland, 26k in Wales and 16k in Northern Ireland) spread across 17,600 homes. Residential homes make up 70% of the stock vs. 30% residential. The UK care home market is highly fragmented. There are roughly 5,500 different care operators in the UK. 84% of care homes are privately run, a slight increase from the 82% in 2015. 13% are run by charities, such as MHA and 3% by local councils. Despite the fragmentation there are 5 providers (largely Private Equity owned) that own a significant share of the market. Known as the 'Big Five', they are: HC-One - the newsest group, founded in 2011, has 324 care homes with 14,000 beds. Four Seasons Health Care - from its launched in 1989, the group has 16,975 beds across 405 care homes. Barchester Healthcare - founded in 1992, it consists of approximately 200 care homes, 7 hospitals, with 12,418 beds, and employs over 15,000 staff including 2,400 registered nurses. Care UK - this group has been providing care servers for over 30 years, with 8,485 beds across over 120 homes and employing 10,500+ people. Bupa - the firm reported occupancy rates of 87% in 2021, up from 76% in 2020. It was founded in 1947 and operates over 100 care homes in the UK with 7,663 beds, and over 20,000 beds globally.