A BBC investigation reveals how three quarters of care homes identified as “requiring improvement” or “inadequate” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are not reinspected within a year – to ensure that improvements are made.

The Care Gap Exposed, which will broadcast on BBC One in the South West on Friday 7 November and on BBC iPlayer, hears from families who speak out about the poor care they say their relatives have suffered in care homes that are waiting for reinspection.

One family told the BBC it was "such an effort" to encourage the CQC to "take any action at all" after a loved one died at a home.

Another home rated “inadequate”, the lowest rating possible, hasn’t been re-inspected for three years – despite a 2022 report highlighting that people are at risk of pressure sores, dehydration, infection, exposure to chemicals and unsafe food safety measures.

A separate home, where following a resident’s death the coroner drew the CQC’s attention to failings in a Prevention of Future Deaths report, has yet to be reinspected by the CQC two years on.

Analysing CQC data from October 2025, the BBC found that:

  • Out of the 123 homes currently rated as ‘inadequate’ – 25 (20%) had not been re-inspected within a year. The old CQC target was to re-inspect within six months.
  • Out of the 2,112 homes currently rated “requires improvement” – 1,553 (74%) had not been re-inspected for 12 months or longer.

In the South Hams area, 10 care homes have been identified as “requiring improvement”, while a further four have no current rating with the CQC.

The CQC said it would "continue to work closely with people who work in services and people who use them to understand the issues the sector is facing".

It also said that it had a clear commitment to increase the number of assessments it carried out, "in order to give the public confidence in the quality of care they will receive, and to update the ratings of providers to give a better picture of how they are performing".

The MP for South Devon, Caroline Voaden, said: “I think it’s really shocking, I think those delays are far too long and families need to know if a care home has done the improvements that were required of it. Clearly the CQC can’t cope with the number of care homes we have. I think it’s really important from every aspect that the inspection regime is improved, the backlog is cleared, and people really know what level of care they care getting”.

The Care Gap Exposed will broadcast on BBC One in the South West Regions on Friday 7 November at 7:30pm and will be available on BBC iPlayer.