What the Data Tells Us
At Care Directory, we've analysed Google Trends data for the search terms "care home" and "home care" in the UK from 2004 to the end of 2025. Three findings stand out:
1. Searches for care have more than doubled since before Covid
Between 2004 and 2019, both "care home" and "home care" had an average monthly index of around 37. From 2020 onwards, that average jumps to about 77.5 – roughly a 110% increase.
2. Winter 2025 is back near the Covid peak
The highest month on record remains April 2020, when "care home" hits the maximum index of 100 and "home care" reaches 98. However, December 2025 records an index of 90 for "care home" and 89 for "home care" – very close to March 2020 and significantly higher than recent winters.
3. December 2025 is the busiest December ever for care searches
From 2019 to 2024, December values for "care home" ranged between 68 and 77. In December 2025, "care home" jumps to 90 – about 17% higher than any previous December.
Crucially, "care home" and "home care" move almost in lockstep, with a correlation of 0.998. When anxiety about care rises, families tend to explore both residential and at-home support at the same time.
Why Is Demand So High Again?
Underlying need for care keeps rising
National data shows that this is not just a temporary Covid hangover. The Care Quality Commission reports that new requests for local authority-funded adult social care were 8% higher in 2023/24 than in 2019/20. People are living longer with more complex long-term conditions, increasing the likelihood of needing either intensive home care or a care home placement.
Hospitals under winter pressure
Hospital pressures and social care are tightly linked. When the NHS is struggling to discharge patients safely, families are pushed to think about care options much more quickly. Delayed discharges remain very high, with around 13,000 patients a day stuck in hospital despite being medically fit to leave. Winter 2024/25 and 2025/26 have brought record levels of flu and respiratory illness.
Funding and capacity pressures in social care
The ADASS Spring Survey 2024 found that 72% of councils overspent on adult social care in 2023/24, with 95% relying on one-off reserves. This creates uncertainty for families: they may hear that help is available in theory, but that accessing it is difficult in practice.
Why "Home Care" Is Rising Alongside "Care Homes"
Home care providers have expanded rapidly over the last decade, offering live-in care, dementia-specialist support at home, and tech-enabled monitoring. National policy and NHS messaging increasingly emphasise care at home as part of the solution to delayed discharges and hospital overcrowding.
Many families will start by searching for "care home" because it is the most familiar phrase – then discover that home care might allow their loved one to stay in familiar surroundings with tailored support.
The AI Factor – How Families Are Now Researching Care
This winter is the first time we have seen Covid-level search interest alongside mass adoption of AI assistants. By mid-2024, around 36-41% of UK adults had used generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini. ChatGPT's weekly active users have risen from 100 million in late 2023 to around 800 million in late 2025.
As AI tools become part of everyday life, families are increasingly asking AI for plain-English explanations of care types, funding rules and assessments, using AI to compare care options before talking to professionals, and looking for local care homes and home-care providers through AI-powered search.
This is one reason Care Directory has been built to be AI-friendly, with structured data and clear tagging – so that whether a family starts with Google or with an AI assistant, they can be guided to accurate, up-to-date information.
What This Means for Families Right Now
Seeing search interest back at Covid-era levels can feel quite alarming, especially if you are already worrying about someone you love. A few reassuring points:
- You're not alone. Many families are facing very similar decisions this winter. The spike in searches doesn't mean something is "wrong" with your situation – it means the system as a whole is under pressure.
- Early conversations help. The earlier you start exploring options – home care, respite breaks, or long-term residential care – the more choice and control you're likely to have.
- Use trusted, verified sources. There is a lot of information online, and not all of it is accurate. Look for services that reference CQC ratings, independent reviews, and transparent pricing.
How Care Directory Can Help
Care Directory is designed to make this process a little less overwhelming:
- Searchable listings of care homes and home-care providers across the UK, with key information in one place.
- CQC ratings and user reviews, so you can quickly see how services are performing.
- AI-ready tagging, helping your chosen AI assistant to surface care options that match your needs more accurately.
Whether you are exploring care for the first time or looking to change an existing arrangement, we're here to support you with clear, trustworthy information – not scare stories or sales pressure.